Sometimes I keep my dog on a 40-foot leash in the back yard. My friend says that Austin passed a new law that says this is illegal. Can I still keep my dog on the leash?
Not after Oct. 1. That’s because on June 7, by a vote of seven to zero, the Austin City Council passed an anti-chaining dog ordinance. The ordinance is designed to ban the practice of chaining and tethering unattended dogs. Specifically, the ordinance prohibits fixed-point tethering or chaining of dogs and states that an owner may not restrain a dog with a chain or tether unless the person is holding the chain or tether. The new ordinance will not go into effect until Oct. 1 in order to give dog owners time to build secure fenced enclosures for their dogs or to bring the dogs into the family home.
The ordinance does, however, allow the temporary tethering of a dog in certain situations, which include a lawful animal event, veterinary treatment, grooming, training, or law-enforcement activity. Owners may also restrain their dog in order to protect the safety or welfare of a person or the dog, as long as the dog’s owner or handler remains with the dog throughout the period of restraint. The ordinance does not affect a dog owner’s responsibility to keep the dog on a handheld leash when otherwise appropriate.
If an owner does restrain the dog, the chain or tether used to do so must not weigh more than one-eighteenth of the dog’s body weight. The restraint must also provide the dog access to necessary shelter and water but may not allow the dog to move outside the person’s property.
Anyone interested in learning more about the anti-chaining dog ordinance should read the ordinance (Austin City Code 3-4-2) available on the city of Austin website (www.ci.austin.tx.us) or check out the Chain Free Austin website (www.chainfreeaustin.org).
This article appears in August 3 • 2007.