Dog tethering concerns tie up Orange County meeting


Posted: Today at 12:13 a.m.
Updated: Today at 12:25 a.m.

Hillsborough, N.C. - With animal advocates pushing for a new ordinance to
limit dog tethering because they say it is cruel, more than 65 people signed
up to speak about the measure at a Tuesday night meeting of the Orange
County Board of County Commissioners.

The hearing went late into the night as the two sides sparred over the
issue.

"Tiger before was a broken dog. His spirit was broken," said Heather Brown,
with the Coalition to Unchain Dogs.

Tiger used to be chained to a 4-foot tether day and night, Brown said. The
Coalition to Unchain Dogs has since built Tiger a fence.

"His tail never stops. He's happy. He gets to run," Brown said of Tiger's
transformation.

"I am very opposed," George Painter, president of the Eno River Coon Hunters
Association, said of the amendment. "For one thing, it's an injustice."

Article, along with a video, continues at link:


http://wral.com/news/local/story/2986674/



I stand with the supporters of the ordinance.



td

In article ,
tiny dancer wrote:
I stand with the supporters of the ordinance.

patting on head Of course you do, dear. Now run along and
let the grown-ups talk about it. Want a cookie?
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

"Melinda Shore" wrote in message
...
In article ,
tiny dancer wrote:
I stand with the supporters of the ordinance.

patting on head Of course you do, dear. Now run along and
let the grown-ups talk about it. Want a cookie?

I probably came in late on the discussion, but I am curious. What do
cookies have to do with supporting the untethering of dogs who spend their
lives on a chain?

Kind regards,
(the)duckster

(the)duckster wrote:

I probably came in late on the discussion, but I am curious. What do
cookies have to do with supporting the untethering of dogs who spend their
lives on a chain?

1. Tethers aren't magically bad. In fact, they can serve a good
purpose and can improve a dog's quality of life.

2. Supporting tethering bans makes people who are disinclined to do
a little research feel good. I assume it's the same sort of
deliberate ignorance and/or laziness that makes folks give money to
PeTA.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)

"(the)duckster" wrote in message
news:iiy1k.35865$yg6.34256@trnddc01...

"Melinda Shore" wrote in message
...
In article ,
tiny dancer wrote:
I stand with the supporters of the ordinance.

patting on head Of course you do, dear. Now run along and
let the grown-ups talk about it. Want a cookie?

I probably came in late on the discussion, but I am curious. What do
cookies have to do with supporting the untethering of dogs who spend their
lives on a chain?

Kind regards,
(the)duckster


Did you happen to watch the video, ducks? An example of a fence, built by
supporters of the ordinance, was shown. IMO, by taking action and building
fences for those who don't have them, shows how important the supporters
take their cause. What more can one ask for, then to have volunteers build
fences for those who can't.


td

In article iiy1k.35865$yg6.34256@trnddc01,
\(the\)duckster wrote:
I probably came in late on the discussion, but I am curious. What do
cookies have to do with supporting the untethering of dogs who spend their
lives on a chain?

tiny's childish approach to sorting through issues. The day
she actually thinks about something is the same day big
yellow monkeys fly out her butt.

There are a lot of problems with the analysis that led to
the proposed ordinance, not the least of which was confusing
correlation with causality. The core problem here isn't
tethering, which is a legitimate, humane way to contain dogs
when done properly. The real problem here is neglect. Some
neglectful owners tether their dogs 24/7, but the problem
isn't the tethering, it's the neglect. Some extremely
responsible owners keep their dogs tethered most of the
time, too, but I can guarantee that in, say, the typical
sleddog kennel in which the dogs are kept tethered, the dogs
get a lot more training and exercise and attention than
tiny's couch potatoes. I would guess that's the case with
the coon dogs in NC, as well.

Unfortunately people find it a lot easier to to deal with
symptoms than with core problems, and this is how a lot of
really bad legislation gets written.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

"Shelly" wrote in message
...
(the)duckster wrote:

I probably came in late on the discussion, but I am curious. What do
cookies have to do with supporting the untethering of dogs who spend
their
lives on a chain?

1. Tethers aren't magically bad. In fact, they can serve a good purpose
and can improve a dog's quality of life.


Had you read the article in full, you'd see that the ban forbids tethering
longer than 3 hours a day. What purpose does tethering a dog for longer
than three hours a day serve?

***The coalition wants Orange County to severely restrict the dog-tethering
portion of its animal control ordinance to allow no more than three hours in
a 24-hour period.**



td

tiny dancer wrote:
taking action and building
fences for those who don't have them, shows how important the supporters
take their cause. What more can one ask for, then to have volunteers build
fences for those who can't.

Oh dear. Is the fervor of a groups supporters really how you judge
the merits of its mission? If folks feel so strongly about
tethering that they want to build fences for people, great. Do it.
But doing so doesn't require passing laws that prohibit tethering.

We have an anti-tethering ordinance in my town. I break the law
every day. A fence is not an option, and I care more about my dog's
well being than I do about getting a ticket for breaking the law.
Not that I think it's likely that I would be ticketed, but it could
happen, I guess.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)

In article ,
tiny dancer wrote:
Did you happen to watch the video, ducks? An example of a fence, built by
supporters of the ordinance, was shown. IMO, by taking action and building
fences for those who don't have them, shows how important the supporters
take their cause.

So do people who advocate teaching creationism in public
school science classes.

Anyway, I'm unclear on why people who neglect their tethered
dogs are going to be magically transformed into caring,
attentive dog owners with the introduction of fenced
kennels. It's also the case that dogs get more exercise on
a properly-constructed tether than they do in a kennel, that
kennels are easier to escape from than tethers, and that
leaving multiple dogs alone together in a kennel for an
extended period of time can lead to fights (particularly if
they're, you know, being *neglected*). In the past there
have been dogsled kennels in Europe in which the dogs were
kept together in large fenced areas and I've heard stories
about 20-dog fights in which dogs were killed. Maybe that
seems more humane to you, or maybe you just don't know very
much about dog behavior or dog care issues.

And remind me again - who are you, exactly, to mock Michael
Vick's language skills?
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

tiny dancer wrote:

Had you read the article in full, you'd see that the ban forbids tethering
longer than 3 hours a day. What purpose does tethering a dog for longer
than three hours a day serve?

I guess it's unthinkable to you that a dog might want to spend time
outdoors. In good weather, Harriet and I spend most of the day
outdoors, and for much of that time, she is tethered. Poor dog!

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)