http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/dognamictour.html

When I tuck my dogs into bed at night, I wonder when the madness will stop? 

Well, leave it to Dogs Deserve Better Organization's Tammy Grimes to prove how rampid the issue is, by putting on miles:  12 days, 12 states, finding at least 10 chained up dogs in each state to prove that legislation is needed for tethering laws in all states.  A tethered dog is a forgotten dog in most cases, can become dangerous to children by being agressive guarding their area.  Check out the first stop on the tour, and just how easy it was to find over 26 dogs in one day all penned or chained outside in one area of one state. 

You can call me nuts, but I am a proud rep for Dogs Deserve Better in WI.  I cannot tell you how many GSPs my group has saved that were former outdoor, chained up dogs, who carry baggage as a result.  Isn't it time we make a stand, and say no more 365/24/7 tethering of dogs?   

Check out some of the road trip via links to You Tube within link. 

I have a problem with anyone who ties out a dog and leaves it.  There are so many things that can happen to the dog it is scary.  We saved a GSD once that was tied out (the owner was at work).  The dog had gotten tangled and couldn't get to her water, and it was really hot.  Of course we knew the dog and she was really happy we helped her out.  Later when the owner got home we discussed it with him, and for him it was just his way of trying to keep his dog from escaping.  He thought he was protecting his dog, not putting it in harms way.  Thankfully, he wised up and didn't do the tethering any more.  I do think tethering as a way of keeping a dog does have a tendency to make them more aggressive as well and more defensive of their area.  I would always be careful approaching a tethered dog, even one in some distress and they will often lash out. 

All that said, I also think there are times when it is ok to tether. I sometimes use a long tether on my youngest when we are at a park or some open area.  She is not yet trust worthy off leash and a long tether gives her a bit of freedom that she can't get on a regular leash.  Of course, I am there supervising and I make sure she knows she is tethered so she doesn't hit the end of the leash too hard.  I also know that hunters and mushers will from time to time tether their dogs. 

In Austin we now have a no tether law that I believe is a good law.  It includes a clause that does allow for tethering if the owner is with the dog.  So, I can still put Halo on her tether as long as I am present.  One of the problems we have seen though is more people surrendering their dogs to the shelter because they cannot afford a fence.  So, at least initially this type of law may cause an uptick in surrenders.  Of course, these same folks probably shouldn' t have gotten a dog to begin with.  Anyway, that is my two cents.

Since, Cody was a dog tied out to a tree in the cold and then the heat of last summer with a plastic dishpan for water that was mostly tipped over and a jerk of an old dad that won't go out and give him water. Wouldn't take him on walks or play ball to burn off his energy and the only thing he could do beside run around a small circle around the tree was BARK and BARK !!!  I SO do not agree with leaving a dog tied out unattended.

I put my dogs in the kennels when I have to work. They have super insulated houses and huge water dishes. There is some room to run around also. I do not put them on a chain or anything like that. Whenever any of us are home the dogs are always with us.

I had a man come here last year and wanted to buy a pup. I was talking to him to ensure he knew what a gsp was like. He said he had one that had died and I asked him what happened he said:

My dog kept getting into my neighbors chickens, so to break him of it I put a dead bird attached to his collar. Well, while trying to get the bird off the collar he ended up strangling himself

I told him I would NEVER sell him a dog! I have on occasion used a cable tie out but now have the nice pens for them.

Good for you Ace, just knowing what I've read about you from this site, I have a feeling that your kennels are about as nice as the Ritz and state of the art. I am so stunned about "the man" that I can not think of the approxpriate punishment for that IDIOT!! How SICK! 

There's no one right solution for every situation.  I'm of the opinion that you do whatever you need to do to protect your dog to the best of your ability. 

That said, I have pretty much zero tolerance for the people that tether their dogs round the clock, providing little--if any--human interaction.  That's just downright neglectful.

I will tether my dogs for maybe 1/2 hour at a time when I am home.  Usually when I have to vacuum or clean up after them.  They have water and like i said, for no longer than 1/2 hour.  Gives me time to clean the crates where they sleep in our bedroom.

I don't really feel bad about it.  But then again I'm not talking about tethering while I'm at work or gone.  I think the longest I have ever tethered them was when I had the carpets cleaned.  But I was outside with them most of that time.

We have been looking for a 1 story home but most of them are in sub-divisions that do not allow 6 ft. fences. Most only allow picket fences or wood framed fences with wire which allows the dogs to be teased by passers by or kids. Guess I will be climbing stairs at least until Molly departs this earth.

I do think it is inhumane to tether a dog 24/7 as some people do.  We had two neighbors (both turned out to be drug dealers) who did that.  One had a Dobie and one had a Rotie.  Both have been arrested and are gone.

IMO that's on the verge of some pretty whacko extremist stuff that's responsible for an awful lot of dogs being abandoned & destroyed.  Rescue & Humane Society organizations lost my strong & long term support by aligning themselves with "tethering law" zealots.  When they decided I was unsuited to adopt a dog, they'd saved from a high kill shelter, b/c I didn't have a fenced yard, they created an outspoken critic of their rigid & thoughtless policy.

I've saved 3 GSP's from inhumane neglect in small suburban fenced yards that Rescue & Humane Soc, AND apparently this group, would approve of in knee jerk fashion.  By dictating broad, misguided "fenced yard" requirements countless adoptive homes are summarily excluded & countless dogs face needless abandonment. 

Admittedly my situation is unusual in that I'm on 17 acres of forest, am semiretired, work at home & I know GSP's have a well deserved reputation for being escape artists.  While I have nothing against fenced yards I also know dogs can be safely tied out.  Plainly these gross generalizations do not work in every case.  My neighbors confine dogs in a small fenced yard that never go out of the enclosure, never go in the house & are left alone all day every day.  In stark contrast, my GSP's have enjoyed a mixture: sleeping inside, large amounts of play time inside, large amounts of play time outside, regular forays to run free at a dog park, frequent supervised running free at home, rides w/me most everywhere, AND the ability to stay safely at home alone on a 50' tether.  My unique situation was not even considered even w/o draconian "tethering laws"!

IMO the results of "tethering laws" are far too often hypocritical, self defeating, misguided, arrogant, blind & responsible for increasing the number of homeless dogs bound for euthanasia.  These zealots systematically condemned my home & long experience w/dogs like this was a 5th rate Communist Dictatorship BUT would've blithely rubber stamped each of the 3 homes I rescued suffering GSP's from.  I've been sickened by far too many cases where dogs are regularly imprisoned long hours in crates & confined in tiny fenced yards that satisfy your "tethering laws" & the hectic lifestyles of people who probably don't deserve to own dogs-expecting to use them On Demand, only when it suits them.

In short "tethering laws" make a bad problem even worse.  County shelters in my region did not have "fenced yard" requirements.  If they did I would have to scratch them off my list of potential places to adopt a deserving dog.  If Kal could talk I'm sure he'd tell you the life I gave him is heaven compared to the horrors his 3 previous 'In Compliance' owners tortured him with.

Fences are not a panacea.  My last GSP nearly died attempting to escape a regulation Cyclone fence kennel by jamming his head/neck under the sharp wire, then getting stuck & punctured!   A dear friend w/her infant daughter were nearly attacked by 2 viscious PB's that defeated a formidable fence, only aggressive action of a passerby with a shovel averted disaster.

Arkansas:  http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/dognamictourarkansas.html

Recently a dog chewed his/her own leg off, after it was tangled in clothes line used as tether.  The dogs whole leg had to be amputated.  Safety is key.  How many dogs hang themselves, because of stupidity?  If you are just gonna have a dog to have a dog....but just leave them to rot chained to a dog house, why have one?  Dogs require human attention, they want to be with us!  DDB offers applications to help people at least fence in their yards, so the dogs can at least roam freeier, without the dangers of unattended tethering.  Sure, I have stake outs for occasions too.  I also have a doggie door, but dogs are not allowed to use it if I'm not there to supervise; because I live in the city of Milwaukee, dog fighters steal dogs for bait, etc...  I'm keeping mine safe.  Our dog ordinances do not have any tethering laws.  As long as dog has adequate shelter/food/water, AND cannot be outside if temps fall below 40 degrees outside, you are good to go!  My dogs are my companion friends, I want them in the house with me.  Too many dangers waiting to happen with 24/7 tethering IMO.

The judgementlalism and intellectual leaping that occur on threads like this amaze me.

There's absolutely nothing inherently wrong with tieing a dog out or tethering them.

Most of my dogs are on stake outs most of the time.  They have shade, water, shelter, and food.  They can exercise themselves at will, and are by anyone's measure very happy and well cared for dogs.

Which dog is better off the one in the situation mine are in, or the one that's left unattended in a home all day or shoved in a box and left to either hold it or sleep in their own urine and feces while the family is at work, school etc for eight or ten hours a day?

Just because someone doesn't have a PROPER stake out set up for their dog doesn't make all staked out dogs neglected or in danger.

It costs around three thousand dollars per run to put in a nice concrete, covered kennel with each run being six by twelve feet.  The last kennel I built I did 90% of the work myself and had over 16,000 dollars and four months time invested in.  Very few people can afford something like that, even in a commercial boarding/training set up.

Teathering laws would all but outlaw field trials because there's no other way a pro can bring a string of 10-20 dogs and properly care for them while they are on the road or at a trial.

Dogs can be just as neglected and ignored in a kennel, back yard, or staked out.  The method of securing them does  not define neglect or abuse.  How often and how well they are attended and worked defines whether they are neglected or abused, nothing else.  CR