Phoenix bans use of chains on dogs
Following a city ordinance update, Phoenix dog owners will face fines and potential jail time should they fail to provide their pooches with adequate shelter or if they use a chain to restrain them.
The updates to the city's animal cruelty ordinance were passed in June and codified Aug. 21 as a result of a staff review with input from animal welfare organizations and multiple city departments, according to a City of Phoenix press release from Tuesday.
The changes addressed were what dog restraints are allowed, including the outlawing of chains, and what is considered "adequate shelter" for a dog, according to the press release.
In an interview Tuesday evening with The Arizona Republic, Phoenix City Councilwoman Laura Pastor said her staff worked closely on the ordinance updates and consulted with animal welfare groups like the Arizona Humane Society. Pastor said the ordinance update was modeled on Glendale's 2017 anti-tethering ban. Glendale's ordinance is a complete ban on all tethering of dogs, she pointed out.
"That's where we eventually want to get to," Pastor said.
The new ordinance now defines lawful dog "restraint" as a rope, tether, leash, and cable attaching the pet to "a stationary object or trolley system." Using chains on dogs is considered unlawful.
Phoenix City Council in 2016 banned the use of chains under 10 feet on dogs, citing how the tethering would become tangled and restrict pets from shade or nourishment.
The use of a chain on a dog will lead the owner to be cited with unlawful restraint of dog, which carries with it a $250 fine on the first violation, according to the ordinance. A second violation will lead to a Class 1 misdemeanor with a 48-hour jail sentence and a $1,000 fine. And a third violation is punishable with 15 days jail time and a $2,000 fine.
Pastor stressed that the ordinance's primary purpose is to educate before resorting to penalties.
"If the education doesn't change or help assist in changes, then it becomes punitive," Pastor said of the ordinance.
In addition to consulting with animal welfare groups, Pastor said law enforcement agencies were brought in to evaluate how feasible the ordinance changes would be.
"My whole point was what can we enforce? What can be enforceable because I don't want to pass something that's not enforceable," she said.
Phoenix's biggest area of concern regarding tethering practices is in its industrial sector where some guard dogs are chained all day and only released at night.
"Adequate shelter" is now described as "any natural or artificial cover accessible to an animal throughout the year, which is structurally sound, maintained in good repair to protect the animal from injury, and of sufficient size to permit the animal to enter, stand, turn around and lie down in a natural manner."
The updated definition also calls for shelter to protect from extreme weather, furnish "adequate" ventilation and drainage and to be maintained as to deter disease, infestations and parasites.
Pastor has dedicated herself to bettering animal welfare as a tribute to former Phoenix Mayor Thelda Williams, the councilwoman noted.
In 2019, when Williams stepped down, "She looked at me and said, 'I would like you to at least advocate for the dogs and for the animals,'" Pastor said.
Reach breaking news reporter Jose R. Gonzalez at jose.gonzalez@gannett.com or on Twitter @jrgzztx.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix bans use of chains on dogs
