ORD-2008-069 - Proposed Animal Ordinance Amendment on the Tethering of Dogs

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of dogs chained and those not chained, suggesting that chaining was not likely to have been the result of aggressive behavior." Deanna Rowan is a resident of Orange County. She supports this ordinance amendment. She said that this is not an animal rights agenda issue; it is a humane treatment of dogs' issues. She said that no one wants to take away anyone's right to have dogs and to hunt. The concern is how the dogs are being kept. She said that the first part of her life was spent in Georgia and Alabama where hunting is a way of life, and she had a lot of close friends that had hunting dogs, and none of them were chained or tethered. She said that this is not about the hunters, but about the hundreds of dogs in Orange County that are chained 24/7, exposed to elements, rarely contacted by their owners, and are subjected to abuse and neglect. Kitty Lynn said that she has rescued hundreds of dogs. She said that chained dogs often become aggressive and territorial for a lack of love and nutrition. They will attack children who enter their territory. She read the names of some children that have been killed or injured by dogs all over the United States. She said that more and more communities are passing laws that regulate the practice of tethering animals, and Orange County will not be the first. She read the names of some cities that have done this. She spoke in favor of the ordinance amendment. Phillip Pennell said that his feelings run deep on this issue. He said that, from the list of children read by Ms. Lynn, there were only a few that were killed by tethered dogs. He said that Person County has a dangerous breed law that Orange County needs to have to contain these types of dogs. He said that he has searched and not once has a hound ever inflicted wounds, but they were mostly from dangerous breeds. He brought out a chain to show the County Commissioners what the Orange County law is with a ten -foot chain. He said that a ten -foot chain would allow 400 square feet of movement, versus 100 square feet with a ten - foot pen. He read from the summary from the Tethering Committee: "Of particular concern are dogs that spend their lives tethered as they are naturally active and social, being that required exercise and frequent interaction with humans and other animals." He said that a ten - foot cage is restricting the dog from exercise. He said that when you take the sociality out of a dog, it makes them mean. He said that he has owned hundreds of dogs, and he has always taken very good care of them. He does not appreciate people coming in and trying to say that chains make bad dogs. Tommy Frazier said that he has dogs and they are better off on a chain than in a pen. He said that it is cleaner to have a chain than a pen. He said that the citizens pay taxes on dogs and there should not be a law. George Painter said that he is opposed to this becoming a law and if the ones on the book now were enforced, there would not be a problem. He said that Ms. Modlin was trying to do a good thing in Scotland County, but he pointed out that she said that those that do not agree with the law are those whose dogs are not well taken care of. He said that when the committee was formed, the Board of County Commissioners asked that there be members on both sides of the argument. The one person that was against it was not allowed to be on the committee. He said that he attended the first open meeting for comment, and two people from his group volunteered to fill the vacant position of someone that was in favor of tethering. This was denied. He said that the whole study was done by those who wanted this amendment passed. He said that the Board of County Commissioners needs to restudy this and put some people on the committee that are on the other side of the issue so that it is fair. Mark Soloman said that he supports this ordinance for several reasons. The first is public safety. Chaining dogs contributes to aggression and constitutes a public safety threat. He said that it has been shown that dogs that are chained are more likely to bite than unchained dogs. The second is the humane issue. Prolonged chaining is harmful to dogs and