Montgomery County residents: You may want to think again before tying up man's best friend. Under an anti-cruelty law proposed by County Executive Ike Leggett, dog owners would be required to remain in eyesight of pooches they tether ?-- or face a $500 fine. County officials say the measure would limit dogs' exposure to brutal weather conditions, as experienced this year during a scorching summer and snow-filled winter. Last year, animal control officials received 116 complaints related to tethering and discovered dozens of additional cases when responding to other incidents.
"Dogs are naturally social beings who thrive on interaction with human beings and other animals," said Adam Parascandola, director of Animal Cruelty Issues for the Humane Society of the United States. "A dog kept chained in one spot for hours, days, months or even years suffers immense psychological damage."
Earlier this year, Alexandria passed a similar law, which prohibits people from tethering dogs for more than three hours in a day. The District adopted a tethering standard nearly a decade ago and immediately saw animal-cruelty complaints drop 17 percent.
Dog owners would face a $1,000 fine and up to three months in jail if the tethering exposes a dog to suffering or pain. br>
Read more at the Washington Examiner.
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