Good news for dogs in Miami-Dade County
September 12th, 2008 by admin
Yesterday, the Miami-Dade Health and Public Safety Committee unanimously voted to forward to the full county commission an anti-tethering ordinance. The ordinance would make it unlawful “for a responsible party to tether a dog while outdoors,” except when the dog is in “visual range of the responsible party, and the responsible party is located outside with the dog.” (The ordinance also requires that the tether or chain be at least five times the length of the dog’s body, and tethering would not be allowed during extreme heat or during thunderstorms.) The commission will likely vote on the ordinance in October.
If the ordinance is enacted, Miami-Dade County will join Orange County and Palm Beach County in restricting the tethering or chaining of dogs (Okaloosa County prohibits the chaining of dogs entirely!). The cities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Dania, Hollywood, Oakland Park and Pembroke Park have similar ordinances.
Continuous chaining is bad for dogs. Dogs are very social animals who suffer from isolation. Chained dogs are much more likely to become aggressive. In addition, dogs confined on chains are at risk of becoming tangled and injured, are more likely to have skin problems and problems with parasites, and are often exposed to bad weather.
If you live in Miami-Dade County, please contact your commissioner and urge them to pass the anti-tethering ordinance.
Click here to contact your commissioner.
http://www.miamidade.gov/commiss/contact.asp