May 19, 2013
Tallahassee, FL - A new ordinance approved by Leon County Commissioners will now make it more difficult to legally tether your dog. For more than a year, research on the issue of tethering dogs was compiled and on Tuesday, February 12, 2013, a unanimous decision was made by the Leon County Commission. Commissioner, Kristin Dozier says “the changes to the ordinance will tighten our controls on tethering without preventing the ability of owners when necessary."
Some of the things residents need to know are; the tether for animals must have a swivel at both ends, no person shall add weight to an animals collar, no animal can be tethered in periods of extreme weather and the dog or cat tethered must not be sick or injured. Dozier also says "if a neighbor sees an animal that's tethered outside and they think it's a problem, or they think it's being treated inhumanely, they can call Animal Control, they can go out there and do an investigation the same as we've always been able to do."
These changes to the ordinance now give additional protection for animals whether you live within the city of Tallahassee or in the unincorporated parts of Leon County. Assistant Director, City of Tallahassee Animal Services, Perri Dale says “there of course are separate city ordinances and county ordinances and typically the two groups try to when they are coming up with language for their own, it's good when we are closer together on these things so that people don't get confused about what the provisions and the requirements are." This new ordinance will also help provide research if dog tethering has any correlation with canine aggression.
