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Thursday, February 7, 2008


Chained dog limits

Chained Dog Regulations Proposed in South Carolina
Spartanburg, SC - State senators are considering a bill to limit how long people can chain their dogs. Recently Arkadelphia, AR instituted a strict anti-chaining ordinance, as have other communities. An excellent web resource that speaks to the dangers of chaining is mothersagainstdogchaining.com.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "chained dogs account for a substantial proportion of serious and fatal bites." The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends not chaining or tethering dogs because it can "contribute to aggressive behavior." The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared chaining dogs inhumane and prohibits licensed dog dealers and transporters from chaining dogs as a primary method of containing them.

The new proposal in South Carolina would limit chaining dogs to a fixed point to 12 hours per day. Dogs attached to a run, could be confined for up to 16 hours. Opposition to the law is expected. Some will claim the state shouldn't meddle in whether dog owners chain their dogs. Dog owners believe a dog on their property is their business, and if anyone trespassing is bitten, it is their own fault. But children shouldn't be expected to understand and obey property lines and they are often the victims of an attack.

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6 comments:

Anonymous David  |  2/07/2008 9:43 PM  |  Flag  
I'm with the guy that wondered why you had to have a fence around a swimming pool and not around a dog that could maul a child that wondered to close.

Anonymous I'm no dumbass  |  2/08/2008 1:56 AM  |  Flag  
Are you talking about a "fence" or a "chain" Dave?

What's the old saying? You chain a pit because it can jump 6 feet -- well outside of the normal height of a fence.

What is a poor pit bull owner to do? To fence or to chain? If you've got a dog that needs to be chained, because it cannot be fenced easily, you've got a real problem on your hands.

How on earth could you ever compare this to the metaphor of a swimming pool fence that is designed to keep children out?

Anonymous Anonymous  |  2/08/2008 6:52 AM  |  Flag  
I think the point being made is, it is understood that children often lack the awareness to recognize property boundaries, so as a civilized society we recognize that we must take precautions to protect them. We have laws that require a fence around swimming pools because too many children have accidentally drowned, and that's a preventable tragedy. Pool owners accept the responsibility and expense of putting up a secure fence when they own a pool, and they can be held liable if they refuse to and a tragedy happens.

Dog owners are held to no such standard, even though many children hve been killed and mauled by dogs. It makes no sense. We protect children from drowning, but not from dog maulings.

The paradox, as pointed out above, is that fencing often will not contain pit bulls..they are climbers. These problems are never discussed by pro-pit groups. My guess is that as a pit owner, you would need some form of non-standard fencing, perhaps what we call in my town a "spite fence", solid wood, over 6 feet tall. Or the pit owner should supervise the dog when the dog is outside. Or use a cable tie out with a run, and a standard fence.

Anonymous Anonymous  |  2/08/2008 8:15 AM  |  Flag  
Actually, this is the crux of the BSL debate.... A Pit Bull cannot be reliably contained by a six foot privacy fence nor a chain.

Were are barely into February, and there have already been many chain breaking and fence escaping incidents this year.

Unfortunately, the Pit Bull (Pro Mauling) community is AWOL on this issue. They've staked themselves out on the "same as other dogs"/discrimination platform.

Anonymous David  |  2/08/2008 4:30 PM  |  Flag  
Anonymous you are right, we see the need to protect children from open water but not chained dogs.
I just went by a place were there is a big pit bull, chained and fenced, nothing but dirt all around. The dog has been like that for a long time. I hope it doesn't ever get out of there.
All I'm really thinking is that it should be up to the dog owner to contain his animal, not us to figure out how to protect ourselves. I think when it gets to this point, then it's my rights that are being violated.

Anonymous David  |  2/09/2008 3:15 PM  |  Flag  
I know a guy whose grandchild drowned in his pool. He now has a pit bull. Everyone says it is a well behaved dog. Why take that kind of chance, after already loosing a child. I guess I just don't get it and pobably never will.

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