Two Cities In Alabama Have Banned Dog Tethering - National Humane Education Society
Paws Up!
November 16, 2018
To the Athens City Council and Huntsville City Council in Alabama for passing ordinances to ban the practice of tethering dogs outside for prolonged periods of time.
Watching dogs run and play outside with reckless abandon warms the hearts of many people. After a sprinting session or zoomy time, they exude happiness and contentment.
Some may even say a happy dog is a tired dog. These dogs are a stark contrast to the dogs who live a large part of their existence tied to the end of a chain. These chained dogs succumb to a myriad of negative behaviors and physical problems. One of the most dangerous behaviors being aggression that can have deadly consequences. These dogs are often deemed dangerous or sadly euthanized when a bite has occurred. Continuous tethering is a contributing factor in creating this aggressive behavior.
Cities and counties throughout the United States are passing laws to limit or restrict the practice of continuous chaining. Two cities in Alabama have banned it altogether. According to recent news articles, Athens City Councilmembers and Huntsville City Councilmembers have banned unsupervised dog tethering for prolonged periods of time. Anyone found guilty of breaking the law in Athens will face a minimum fine of $50, whereas Huntsville residents will face greater ones. First-time offenders will be charged $200, second-time offenders will be charged $500, and third-time offenders will have to appear in court. The fines between the two counties vary greatly, but the reasoning behind the ban is the same–to create a more humane life for dogs who would otherwise live their lives on the end of a chain.
To learn more about the dangers of dog chaining, please download our free brochure here.
Take Action: Athens City residents and Hunstville City residents, please contact your councilmembers and thank them for passing this law to end the suffering of dogs who exist on the end of a chain.
I greatly admire Athens & Huntsville Alabama for passing non tethering laws. I am in Talladega AL and witness chained dogs often. How can I go about getting County of Talladega to do the same as these 2 cities.
Hi Joyce,
Thank you for your comment. There is power in numbers! You can start a petition with your neighbors and friends to get a dog tethering ban passed. Get with shelters, rescues, and animal control to have them back you as well. Write to, call, and email your county commissioner regularly about a dog tethering ban. Write to your newspaper and ask them to cover a story on your progress, or ask them to print a letter to the editor about the dog tethering problem. Bring lots of attention to the issue and your elected officials will begin to notice!
Good morning,
I have been seeing a poor dog on a leash in mud on old railroad bed. The dog is out there all of the time. I looked up Old Railroad bed and it shows that it is in Harvest Al and that is the city of Madison. So, Madison does not have this law? Breaks my heart to see the poor dog in mud, cold, and chained.
Hi Ms. Dillon,
Report this address to the local animal control and request the officer does a house check to check on the dog and write up the infractions. These laws are only effective when they are enforced properly. Thank you!
I called the County Admin for Baldwin County. They will investigate. We are going to a council meeting to pass NO Chaining in Loxley, AL Don’t give up. This poor dog needs your help. Keep calling.
Email Mindy Gilbert@humanesociety.org and send pictures and details. She lobbies for animal rights in Alabama.
I have done this many times, and it actually worked in a couple of instances. Write a letter to the resident unanimously and write what is in your heart about the situation and offer alternatives. Tell them if they can’t bring the dog in to turn it in to a shelter to give it a chance to be adopted to a good home.
I live in West Mobile, Alabama 36695. I have been a parent to my furry children and animal neglect and abuse is high on my list of “this cruelty must stop”.
My neighbor has a young sweet female pit on a heavy chain about 10’ from his patio. Bella can’t get on the covered area. He has a water bowl that holds maybe 2 cups.
What can I do to address this problem?
Hi Ms. Urnis,
Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately, the state of Alabama nor Mobile County currently do not have laws against dog tethering at this time. The best thing to do is to contact the Mobile County Animal Control at 251-574-7940 and explain that the neighbor’s dog does not have adequate shelter or water, and let them know if she appears to be in distress. Hopefully, they will have an officer go out and speak to the neighbor and check on the dog.
If you feel safe doing so, and you and your neighbor are on good terms, perhaps politely and gently ask him why he chains her instead of letting her inside. Sometimes people only do things because they were never taught any different, and have never thought about changing their behavior. Sometimes people just need gentle reminders that our dogs want to be with us rather than stuck outside all day.
How can you go about getting a law passed to stop abused and neglected dogs?My neighbor had a small puppy chained up,they would go off and stayed gone all day,that little puppy would stay there all day in 100 degree weather without water,we reported this to the police, and the mayor but nothing was done,now we think the little puppy has died.could I have done more to save him,it breaks my heart.
Please talk to your state representatives about introducing legislation that would improve animal welfare. Start a petition and have several community members sign it. Write letters to the editors of your local newspapers about the need for animal welfare reform. Talk to your local animal shelters and rescues about holding an event that would benefit their cause and bring attention to the need for animal welfare reform!
I would love to help participate with you on this issue. I just moved to Alabama and feel the same as you do.
I also live in Talladega County, Alabama. It’s really sad around here to watch so many animals be tied up with chains and the majority of them are pits. Across the street from us is a small neighborhood and there is a family up there who have three pits tied up with heavy car chains. He has the mother and two of her puppies all tied up to the point none of them can reach each other or have any kind of interaction with each other. I noticed there was another lady from Talladega that had made a comment and I would love to get with her or other people that live in Talladega County to help make a difference. I have a rescue pit and I have to say she is one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever had and it’s so sad the bad rap they get. It’s not the dogs that are the problem, it’s the people that are the problem and I don’t understand why people can’t see this. It breaks my heart to see these animals treated like this.
Two cities in Alabama have banned it altogether. According to recent news articles, Athens City Councilmembers and Huntsville City Councilmembers have banned unsupervised dog tethering for prolonged periods of time. I truly appreciate your great post!
I know I’m late to the party but at least I’m here ☺️. How can I go about getting the entire state of Alabama on board for tether laws? I live in a city where the animal welfare is a leash law but really nothing else. The powers that be here are a complete joke as they have ZERO concern for animals even in enclimat weather conditions which isn’t unusual here. I feel absolutely hopeless to the point of wanting to move from this town I used to love. I don’t sleep well from constantly worrying about these chained dogs. I’m literally exhausted.
Hello Ashley,
It is difficult to understand why local and state lawmakers take so long to pass laws to protect dogs who are tethered 24/7. You may have already tried this, but, if you haven’t, please contact your city, county, and state representatives to petition for a law to protect tethered dogs. Thank you for taking the time to share and being a voice for dogs in your state. If you have any other questions, please email education2@nhes.org.
Just because a dog stays outside does not mean he’s neglected or abused if a change setup is done correctly it is a good safe environment for the dog everyone does not have house dogs some dogs are working dogs and should be respected
Just because a dog is on a chain dose not mean they are neglected or abused a 12 foot chain is better than a kennel anyday