GRADY COUNTY commissioners are studying an amended animal control ordinance which would prohibit tethering of dogs.
The Grady County Board of Commissioners is looking to join many other Georgia communities that prohibit the tethering of a dog.
Grady County Administrator J.C. (Buddy) Johnson III, presented a proposed revision to the county’s animal control ordinance that would prohibit tethering of dogs in the county. The issue was recently raised to county officials by concerned citizens. The county currently does not have an ordinance in place that addresses this hot topic.
According to the Center for Disease Control, a chained dog is 2.8 times more likely to bite than unchained dogs. Research indicates that chained dogs are more likely to escape, run at large and pose a threat to themselves and the public, officials say.
Under the proposed language, the revised ordinance would prohibit a person from tethering, fastening, chaining or tying a dog to a dog house, tree, fence or other stationary object.
Dog owners would be permitted to attach dogs to a running line, pulley or trolley system. However, the animal could not be tethered by means of a choke collar or pinch collar.
The revised ordinance would also allow for dogs to be tethered for a period not to exceed one hour so long as the chain, rope, cable, line apparatus is 10 feet long from the anchor point.
Johnson based his revision on an ordinance that has been adopted in Decatur County. In addition, the administrator studied ordinances on the books in other neighboring communities before modeling the change after the Decatur County ordinance.
The proposed amended ordinance will be placed on the table for 30 days and will be voted on next month.
