Let's Enhance Massachusetts' Dog Tethering Law

None of us like to be tied up, tied down, or chained to anyone or anything. Nor do we want to be left alone without companionship, forced to live outside without sufficient shelter to face the elements, or made to survive on poor nutrition and medical care.

But some people believe it is acceptable to make their dogs live this way. Surely, you’ve noticed these unfortunate pets. There is the dog left outside tied to a tree with no one paying attention to her. Or the dog stuck in a small backyard pen with his pathetic shell of a doghouse.

This is unacceptable abuse in the opinion of animal lovers, including those of us at Unchain America. I founded this volunteer-run organization in 2016 to help get dogs out of such terrible conditions. In that time, we have helped more than 300 dogs nationwide, including 125 so far this year.

We routinely reach out to and negotiate with recalcitrantly cruel owners. Often, these people claim they are treating dogs properly and compassionately. Some owners are willing to work with us and learn about better ways to treat their canine companion, but not all. Happily, some are occasionally willing to relinquish their dogs to us.

Inhumane dog confinement is addressed by laws that vary from state to state; however, many states’ laws are almost universally and grossly insufficient for getting the most sociable and loving of species out of their isolated, unhealthy and completely preventable circumstances.

Here in Massachusetts, dogs are fortunate to have an anti-tethering law that is likely one of the most protective state laws in the nation. Passed in 2016 with much fanfare, the statute limits unsupervised outside chaining for more than 15 minutes from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. For the remainder of the day, a dog cannot be tethered outside for more than five hours at a time. A broadly written “cruel conditions” portion of the law can allow animal control officers and other law enforcement personnel to act if a neglected dog is suffering from being left outside in the elements, even if the five-hour time limit cannot be proven.

Despite this strong anti-tethering law here in the Bay State, those of us at Unchain America would like to see the five-hour time limit drastically reduced, if not virtually eliminated. Our reasoning is based on seeing so much horrific treatment endured by dogs who are chained outside or left in small pens or cages.

Dogs forced to live outside in summer heat as we have experienced this summer, without any respite from such conditions, are living a sadly inhumane existence. In the winter, sub-freezing temperatures can be fatal and being left outside for five hours on extremely cold days can be both dangerous and intolerable for dogs. Food and water can freeze in that amount of time.

We believe that all dogs should be protected against unpleasant weather, live in a home like people and enjoy the status of a beloved family member treated with the kindness and dignity that people afford each other. Consequently, we would like to have the requirement for a maximum of 15 minutes of supervised tethering during an eight-hour period to be mandated for the whole day, not just from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.

Enforcing the current law’s daytime five-hour tethering limit is difficult, if not impossible. No animal control officer can spend five hours monitoring such a situation. In addition, a dog shouldn’t have to suffer for four hours and 59 minutes just for this requirement to be met.

Furthermore, this law should cover all outside dogs, regardless of whether they are tethered or not. Small, unacceptable pens or cages are just as cruel as tethers.

We must help dogs stuck in these horrible circumstances by strengthening our legislation even further. I urge all dog lovers to contact their state representatives to request more support for our best friends by asking them to make dog-friendly improvements to the 2016 law.

Robin Budin, Founder and President, Unchain America, Longmeadow, Mass.

www.UnchainAmerica.net

robinb@unchainamerica.net