Dallas ordinances limiting number of pets, banning tethering go into effect Thursday

by PegNews wire

Dallas pet owners will no longer be allowed to keep their dogs—like this puppy—tethered or chained up 24 hours a day.

Two new ordinances affecting Dallas pets and their owners go into effect today.

The ordinances—limiting the number of dogs and cats Dallas residents can have and regulations that essentially prohibit the tethering or chaining of dogs—were part of a package of amendments approved by the Dallas City Council on June 25. Pet owners were given 90 days to comply with most of the new regulations.

Effective today, residents of single-family homes are limited to a total of six dogs, cats or any combination of the two. If the resident’s lot is a half-acre or larger, the number increases to eight dogs, cats or any combination.

Pet owners who had more than six animals on June 25 had until today to apply for a “grandfather” exemption for any cats and dogs over that number.

The limit for dwelling units that share a common wall, such as apartments, townhouses or duplexes, was not amended and remains at a total of four dogs, cats or any combination. The pet limitations do not apply to puppies or kittens younger than six months of age, or for pet foster parents approved by Dallas Animal Services.

The new regulations on tethering ban the practice of chaining or tying up a dog unless it is in the owner’s immediate possession and control. The only exemption is if the dog is properly tethered while the owner completes a temporary task of less than three hours. The ordinance also sets requirements for the type of collar or harness used as well as the length—a minimum of 10 feet—of the tether.

Last year Dallas Animal Services removed over 80 cats and dogs—a third of them already dead—from the home of an animal hoarder.

In addition, dogs confined outdoors must now be in a fenced yard or pen structure that provides at least 150 square feet per adult dog as well as access to a dog house or other shelter.

Another ordinance approved by the City Council on June 25—requiring an Intact Animal Permit for unaltered dogs and cats—does not go into effect until Oct. 25. Pet owners must have their cats and dogs spayed or neutered unless they obtain a permit for each unaltered animal. The cost of the Intact Animal Permit is $70 per animal per year.

Exemptions include puppies or kittens younger than six months; service, assistance and police dogs; purebred competition animals; and animals exempted by their veterinarians.

Applications for Intact Animal Permits are available at Dallas Animal Services, 1818 N. Westmoreland, Dallas 75212, or on the city’s website, www.dallascityhall.com.

“These new ordinances do not force owners to spay or neuter their pets, nor was anyone forced to give up their pets,” said Jonnie England, Director of Animal Advocacy for the Metroplex Animal Coalition. “But there are simply too many unwanted, abandoned and stray dogs and cats in Dallas. These ordinances finally place the responsibility for our animals where it belongs—with their owners.”

Last year, Dallas Animal Services put to death almost 27,000 dogs and cats.

For more information, call Dallas Animal Services at 214-670-8246. To view all of the regulations regarding animals in Chapter 7 of the City Code, log on to www.dallascityhall.com.

Source: Metroplex Animal Coalition

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Pavel Lishin says:

The cat ladies of Dallas would have voted against this, but that would mean leaving the house.

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Scott Doyle says:

Unless they're gonna go door-to-door checking on this, I doubt the cat ladies have much to worry about. They wouldn't be cat ladies if people visited them.

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Mike Orren says:

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monicas says:

Kudos to Dallas for being at the forefront of a national trend and finally putting a dent in a cruel and abusive practice: that is, keeping a dog chained up by the neck for years on end. Anti-chaining laws are being passed all over the country b/c people and lawmakers are finally realizing that we've had a gaping hole in our animal welfare laws that allows people to essentially torture for years on end a social, intelligent animal by keeping it in chains and forcing it to live in a small radius. These dogs are usually tormented by flies and parasites. They never get exercise or vet care. Some strangle on their own tethers. Many chained dogs are found with collars embedded in their necks (not pretty, I can assure you), the result of being chained while still growing.

A chained dog is a forgotten dog.

Yes, other systems of confinement can be abused. Yes, not AL people who chain their dogs do so in the hideous ways I describe above. But the fact remains that chaining is a method of confinement that is very easily abused. It allows people to "take the easy way out" when it comes to caring for their dog.

Laws like this, while not perfect, force people to think long and hard about even getting a dog in the first place. When no longer allowed to keep an animal as a forgotten, furry lawn ornament, they often opt not to get one at all. All the better for everyone.