Focus on Tethering Dogs, Indianapolis, IN

[Rene Allegrini]

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Nov 14, 2006

In Focus: Tethering Dogs

Part of the dangerous dog ordinance passed Monday night by the City-County Council focuses on the practice of chaining dogs.

Jerry Sparks walks his five-year-old pit bull terrier Slacks every day. At home, Slacks lives inside or out in a
fenced-in yard. But not every dog in his near south side neighborhood is so lucky.

"And you see them all the time and they say, 'Well, we don't have a fence.' Well, then don't have a dog," Sparks said.

A study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows eight of 10 bites come from male dogs that are chained and have not been neutered. The CDC also says chained dogs are nearly three times more likely
to bite than unchained dogs.

The new dangerous dog ordinance in Indianapolis regulates how people may use chains or tethers with their dogs. First, the chain needs to be at least 12 feet long. And it has to have swivels on each end allowing it to rotate as the dog moves around.

"It's easy to tell if a dog's chained up. And if it's chained up all the time," said Leslie Fatum, Indianapolis Animal Shelter administrator.

She's glad the city's new dog ordinance limits the amount of time people can tie up their dogs.

"It really is cruel to tie a dog out for basically its entire life and not socialize it," she said.

"And those are the ones that are more likely to bite because they're not socialized with people. You know, if it's set out there all by itself it's like putting a person out there in solitary confinement," said veterinarian Dr. Phil Borst.

The new ordinance says owners cannot tie their dogs up at all from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. The ordinance also says if an unsterilized dog is on a chain, someone needs to be there to watch the animal.

Sharon Fralick is glad. She says she sees too many dogs chained up all day in her neighborhood.

"Ones that are tied all day long without proper shelter, without proper care and stuff; they tend to get a little more vicious. So I think the law on the tethering and different things are really good," Fralick said.

The city's animal care and control department says it will work with dog owners to help them find alternatives to chaining their dogs for long periods of time. The ordinance passed by the City-County Council Monday night takes effect January 1st.

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