enforce spay and neuter laws, amend chaining of dog laws,

 Tethered to trees on short chains, they can be found all over. In the winter, they get frost bite, and often live in pain for the rest of their short lives. Often there are a few dogs in one yard, but the chains are too short to reach each other. They are neglected: rarely with tags, rarely with any kind of medical care, or even human contact. They just sit their lives out on the end of a rope. Having never been socialized, these are the dogs that bite. 

Many states in the USA already have no tether laws. The tethering of dogs is currently illegal in twelve states. Many cities and counties also have a no tether law.

Fertile dogs reproduce. Females, pregnant and tethered abound. The illicit sale of dogs takes place, creating a domino effect. Our shelters are overcrowded.

Of great concern is the tethering of dogs. On cold nights, I can hear dogs crying.
Tethered to trees on short chains, they can be found all over Memphis. In the
winter, they get frost bite, and often die. Once frostbitten, they are in pain
for the rest of their short lives. Often there are a few dogs in one yard, but
the chains are too short to reach each other.


"We [passed] this ordinance for two main reasons: (1) the safety of our citizens
and (2) for the humane treatment of the animals. On the issue of safety, our
records indicated that 51 percent of our dog bites were from dogs [who] were confined on chains or had been chained and had broken loose. … I observed that most of our dogs [who] were chained were receiving inhumane treatment."
—Elaine Modlin, animal control officer, Laurinburg,
North Carolina


Neglected, the dog next door to me was not being fed when I rescued her and her four puppies. Her chain was wrapped around her neck and she could barely move,
thereby forced to sit in her own feces.  Although pregnant, her bones were visible as she was rarely fed. These dogs often have visible wounds, and are not spayed or neutered.
"Over the years, the Washington Humane Society has gained a firsthand knowledge of the problems which the chaining or tethering of dogs cause. … Eventually the dog will break the chain and will escape the yard. Bite cases come in regularly where a dog has broken or got off [the] chain and has bitten someone while running loose. Chaining also creates a hazard for dogs, because they can become tangled and/or hang themselves.


—Adam Parascandola, former director of humane law enforcement for the Washington Humane Society, Washington, D.C.














 



















"The ordinance was originally passed because putting an animal on a [tether] was deemed cruel for a variety of reasons. … [W]e had seen a number of instances where animals [who] had been [tethered] wound up choking themselves when they tried to escape by jumping over items in the yard, such as cars or motorcycles."
—Pat Mehrhoff, senior assistant prosecuting attorney, Tucson, Arizona


Many states in the USA already have no tether laws. The tethering of dogs is
currently illegal in twelve states. Many cities and counties also have a no
tether law. Neighboring cities, such as Chattanooga and Little Rock Arkansas
have no tether laws. If they can do it, we can to.
Also, I discovered that certain laws regarding spaying and neutering are being overlooked. The disregard of the law results in litter after litter of unwanted puppies. These puppies either end up as bait dogs, or in the pound. Often these dogs, and their multitude of offspring have never had their shots, or, at best, their first round. 


It has been in the news a lot lately about the problems with our pound.
If the law was enforced, we would actually have a shortage of dogs rather than this continuous problem of cruelty and over populated shelter.
Females, pregnant and tethered can be seen all over Memphis. The illicit sale of dogs takes place, creating a domino effect. Our shelters would not be overcrowded and unwanted animals would not be roaming the streets if this one law was enforced.
 
According to Sec. 8-28-1. Spay and neuter requirement:
No person shall own, harbor, or keep within the city a dog or cat overthe age of six months, which has not been spayed or neutered unless the dog or cat is exempted from the provisions of this section, as defined under section 8-28-3.*
However, in response to a call toauthirities,  regards to a un-neutered tethered dog, I was told that it was not against the law. Further research into Sec. 8-28-1, Idid see a few exceptions, mainly in the case of service dogs or breeders. Also noted, possession of ANY dog that is not spayed or neutered requires a breeders fee of $200.00. Daily fines of $50.00 is the penalty of owning an unaltered pet. Why are we not enforcing this law?

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