New Law Cracks Down On Negligent Dog Owners
The law band pet tethering and also encourages dog licensing.
New York City City Council considered a bill today that would ban owners from tethering their dogs up for long periods of time.
Michelle Villagomez with The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) says the bill looks to address the issue of animals who spend most of their lives tied outside--a situation which if the bill passes would be considered abusive. But, she says, the law does have some flexibility for pet owners, if for example "you want to run into Starbucks to pick up a cup of coffee. But we really want to be able to address the cases in which tethers are used."
A second bill would increase the licensing fee of a dog that is unaltered from $11.50 to $34. Villagomez says the extra $25.50 would go to funding animal population control. The ASPCA hopes the bill will encourage dog owners to license their pets--something the majority of New Yorkers don't know is the law.
