Agenda - 09-22-2008 - 2 - Laserfiche WebLink

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3~ 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 aten-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 deprives them of necessary exercise and socialization; it subjects them to dangers of becoming entangled, preventing them from reaching food, shelter, or water and causing injuries such as strangulation, trachea damage from pulling, and the embedding of collars; it makes dogs vulnerable to attack from free-roaming dogs and wildlife. Numerous Orange County veterinarians have endorsed this tethering restriction. The next reason is over-population. Chained dogs contribute to the community's pet over-population problem. Dogs that are continuously tethered are frequently unsterilized and there is no barrier protecting chained female dogs from unwanted breeders. In fact, every chained female dog that the Coalition to Unchain Dogs has helped locally has had at least one and often multiple litters of puppies. The puppies end up in local shelters and cost taxpayers' money. Finally, this is an important tool for animal control. Seven North Carolina jurisdictions, including the counties of New Hanover and Scotland, report positive results from anti-tethering ordinances, including a decrease in the number of animal cruelty complaints and dog bite incidences. Nancy Garson- Anger read a letter on behalf of Jean McNeill, Animal Control Services Manager of New Hanover County. She said that the anti-tethering ordinance is too important an issue to be silenced in an atmosphere of intimidation. She encouraged the County Commissioners to move forward thoughtfully, compassionately, and not fearfully. "Dear County Commissioners, 1 am writing this letter in support of your county passing an anti-tethering ordinance for the protection of your community's companion animals. New Hanover County has had the privilege of such a law for many years, and our residents enjoy the 24