Johnson City Commission Limits Chaining Dogs in UNANIMOUS Vote
THANK YOU, Johnson City commission members, for your compassionate and very consequential vote!! This is a HUGE win for Johnson City dogs! Click here to read the full ordinance: ORDINANCE NO. 4708-19, but here is the crux of this new law:
“Beginning January 1, 2021, no dog may be tethered or chained and left unattended. A dog or puppy may only be tethered or chained to a fixed object if the animal is under the observation of its owner. No puppy under the age of six-months shall be placed on a trolley/pulley system or tethered. Owners also have the option of providing a fence or pen for dogs that allows a minimum of one hundred (100) square feet of space per dog as detailed in Section 10-105 (2).”
New Washington County TN Law
Washington County Resolution No. 23-05-12
- A pet owner can incur fines and civil litigation if a dog is kept in violation of the following conditions:
- The dog shall not be tethered in a matter that results, or could reasonably result, in the dog becoming frequently entangled on the restraint or another object.
- If there are multiple dogs tethered, each dog must be on a separate tether and not secured to the same fixed point.
- The tether must allow the dog to sit, lie down, and stand comfortably without the restraint becoming taut and allow the dog a range of movement.
- A dog shall not be tethered if it is ill, suffering from a debilitating disease, injured, in distress, in the advanced stages of pregnancy, or under 6 months of age.
- A tethered dog must have access to clean water, food, dry ground and necessary shelter that is safe and protective while tethered.
- A dog shall not be tethered in a manner that results in the dog being left in unsafe or unsanitary conditions or that forces the dog to stand, sit, or lie down in its own excrement or urine.
- A dog shall not be tethered by means of a choke, pinch, slip, halter, or prong-type collar, or by any means other than with a properly fitted buckle-type collar or harness that provides enough room between the collar or harness and the dog’s throat to allow normal breathing and swallowing.
- A dog shall not be tethered in a manner that causes the dog injury or pain.
- The weight of the tether shall be reasonably necessary to safely restrain the dog without placing excessive strain or weight on the dog.
- The tether must be a minimum of 10 feet long and weigh no more than 10% of the dog’s body weight. Example: for a 60-pound dog, the tether can weigh no more than 6 pounds.
- Language in the ordinance outlines a fine of $25 for an owner’s first offense and a range of $50-$100 in penalties for each additional offense. Each day a dog’s conditions violate the ordinance is considered a new offense.
New Tennessee State Law Effective July 1, 2023
