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On December 12, the Somerset City Council will vote on an ordinance regulating how dogs can be tethered outdoors. However, the proposed ordinance is weak and would still permit dogs to be kept chained outdoors 24/7, 365 days a year, in all weather extremes. PETA has urged officials to strengthen the ordinance by prohibiting continuous and unattended dog tethering.
Chained dogs are often found tethered without access to potable water, with nothing but kibble or food scraps thrown on the ground, tangled up and unable to reach shelter. Dogs kept outdoors in Kentucky’s extreme temperatures are at risk of enduring slow, painful deaths, as in the cases of the two dogs found frozen to death in Louisville or the dog who died from heatstroke after being kept outside without water or shade in Hopkinsville.
Dogs are social pack animals, and when continuously isolated, they often become territorial and aggressive. According to a study partly authored by two Centers for Disease Control and Prevention physicians, they’re nearly three times more likely to attack than dogs who aren’t kept chained. Victims of chained-dog attacks are most frequently small children or the elderly.
PETA has sent a letter to the Somerset City Council, urging it to prohibit continuous and unattended dog tethering. Please join us by contacting your elected officials today.