Salt Lake County seeks to free dogs chained around the clock - Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake County seeks to free dogs chained around the clock - Salt Lake Tribune
A dog is said to be man's best friend, and most sane people wouldn't clap their best friend in chains. We believe the Salt Lake County Council is doing the right thing in moving forward with an ordinance making it illegal in unincorporated communities to leave a dog tied or chained outside for extended periods of time. The penalty -- a maximum $1,000 fine and six months in jail -- seems about right. But the ordinance could use some tweaking before it gets final approval, probably in January.

Although the Utah Humane Society helped draft the ordinance and advised that 10 hours should be the maximum amount of time for an animal to be chained, that seems to us an arbitrary number. There could be reasons a dog owner can't get home to let a dog loose for 11 or 12 hours, such as an unusual work schedule or emergency. Counting commute time, even a normal eight-hour job could take a person away from home for more than 10 hours.

What the council should be targeting are the owners who leave their dogs chained outside continuously, without attention and, especially, without proper shelter from the weather. That kind of neglect should constitute a cruelty-to-animals offense, even without a new ordinance specifically addressing the practice of long-term chaining.

Still, we don't mean to quibble over the 10-hour rule. The ordinance is needed, if only as a warning that inhumane treatment is unacceptable. It's unlikely the county will have the personnel to prosecute any but the most egregious violations, because county government is so strapped for cash in this recession and revenue is not expected to rebound for some time.

Dogs are social animals. They crave the interaction of a "pack," and if they're deprived of that contact, research shows they often become aggressive toward humans and other animals. Being restrained on a tether, especially a short one, and left alone for long periods can turn a normally friendly dog into a menace. Their barking and hostile behavior can be unsettling to other people, even if they never get loose to wreak havoc.

Dog owners have a responsibility to take proper care of their animals, for the sake of both the animal and their neighbors. If an owner cannot provide what a pet needs, whether it be food, shelter or attention, then he or she has no business having a pet.

The Humane Society takes healthy unwanted pets. There may be another owner who could give that animal the care it deserves. A county ordinance might help persuade such an owner to either give the animal proper care or give it up.

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