City Council of Elyria, OH Considers Dog Chaining Ordinance - National Humane Education Society

Paws Up!

To the city council of Elyria, Ohio, for considering an ordinance that would drastically limit dog chaining.

NHES has been writing about the harmfulness of dog chaining for years. We are happy to report that city officials in the city of Elyria in northern Ohio, are considering an ordinance aimed at stopping the continuous, neglectful chaining of dogs in their city.

According to a recent news source, the new ordinance would prohibit dog owners from chaining their dogs for longer than ten hours in a 24-hour period. Furthermore, tethering would be prohibited between the hours of 10:00pm and 6:00am. Pet owners in violation of the law could face a misdemeanor and a $150.00 fine. Elyria is home to nearly 54,000 residents; if passed, this ordinance could mean a much higher quality of life for many dogs.

Take action. Citizens of Elyria, OH, — contact your city council and urge them to pass an ordinance to limit harmful dog tethering. Residents of other locales, contact your own city council or county commission to find out if a dog tethering ordinance exists in your county. If none exists, ask your local officials to consider drafting such an ordinance.

UPDATE: The anti-tethering ordinance in Elyria, Ohio passed 9-1 and will go into effect August 31, 2016.Violators face a minor misdemeanor for the first offense, a fourth-degree misdemeanor on the second offense and a first-degree misdemeanor on the third offense. The charge is automatically considered a first-degree misdemeanor if the dog is injured as a result of tethering.