Dog owners face fine if pet tied too long
Published: January 18, 2011 9:13 PM
By ERIK ORTIZ. amNewYork
Pet owners in New York City who tie up their pooches for more than three hours outdoors will land in the doghouse - or even the big house.
The City Council voted Tuesday to ban the practice of leashing pets for long periods, which members called "cruel and unusual."
"Chaining a dog and leaving it for hours is fair neither to the dog nor the people who must walk past it," said Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria), who sponsored the bill and has been gathering support for it since 2007. "This type of abuse can turn the nicest pet into an attack dog."
The legislation, which is awaiting Mayor Michael Bloomberg's signature, also prohibits tethers that are too heavy, likely to become entangled because of their design or are considered "choke" or "pinch" collars.
Owners slapped with a first offense will get a warning. A second violation will cost up to $250, and subsequent offenses would draw up to a $500 fine and 90 days in jail.
From Newsday 1/19/11