A BETTER BYLAW                                                                                                                                          2006

A bylaw that only restricts tethering can result in more dogs being kept in other inhumane ways. What is needed is a ban on keeping dogs outside the primary building: loose in yards, on chains or other means of tethering, in pens, in garages, in sheds or under decks etc.   Most people who keep a dog this way will choose not to own a dog if they are not permitted to keep it outside. Education ought to accompany legislation, but is not a substitute for legislation. It took legislation to ban public smoking and to ensure seat belt-wearing. Education can take several generations to work, and suffering dogs must not be left to suffer and the public cannot be left at risk.

Animal Advocates Society is proposing a comprehensive solution to the multi-faceted problems caused by the existence of yard dogs in our communities.

THE PROBLEM IS SIX-FOLD

Animal Cruelty - it is cruel and inhumane to isolate social creatures. In our so-called civil society, dogs are allowed to be treated worse than livestock. Their suffering is profound
Public Safety - all data confirms that unsocialized dogs are a grave danger to the public, especially to children.
Public Nuisance - the dogs frequently bark, howl, cry, whine, escape, and menace, creating neighbourhood fear and anger. Noise complaints often result in further cruelty to the dog in the form of punishment and muzzling and poisoning.
Public Expense – inspections, impoundment, and disposal costs money, and these costs continue to rise as more dogs are owned.
Public Health - the areas the dogs are kept in are frequently contaminated with feces and urine and the food is a rodent attractant.
Lawlessness - when neighbours cannot get any action from city hall or the SPCA, some dogs are poisoned, but many kind people feel forced to break the law by removing and rehoming the dog. A broad spectrum of people have been forced to do this, from off-duty police officers, off-duty pound employees, crown prosecutors, grandmothers, single mothers on welfare, wealthy socialites, ministers, social workers, and untold numbers of ordinary people who would not otherwise dream of committing a felony. They are forced to become lawless by the lack of action by legislators and the SPCA.

THE SOLUTION IS SIMPLE AND EASILY ENFORCED

The solution is a ban on the keeping of dogs outside of the primary building except for one hour a day while attended (a responsible adult on the property); and not at all at night when barking and crying most disturbs neighbours. We suggest that ‘day’ be taken to mean from 7:00 a.m. to 7: 00 p.m. "Unattended" means when no responsible adult is on the property to respond to a noise or other complaint. Those who intend to keep a dog outside will be discouraged by this restriction and will tend not to get a dog.

‘No tethering’ laws mean well but result in dogs being kept in pens, in sheds, in garages, on decks, on porches and under porches, instead.   AAS can see that the Burnaby bylaw is well-meaning, but we hope this proposal goes back to staff for more input and improvement so that you help all yard dogs.

Attachments:

Behavioural/psychological effects of isolation, chaining, and substandard living conditions http://www.animaladvocates.com/its-time/It'sTime-research-behav.htm

Physical effects of isolation, chaining, and substandard living conditions
http://www.animaladvocates.com/its-time/It'sTime-research-physical.htm

Public safety issues of isolation, chaining and substandard living conditions
http://www.animaladvocates.com/its-time/It'sTime-research-safety.htm

Expert local opinion:

Dr. Stanley Coren:
Though best known to the public for his series of best-selling books on dogs, Stanley Coren is also a well respected scientist and Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia. He has earned the title of Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in recognition of his contributions to psychological research.
"The general consensus is that chaining out a dog for long periods makes it aggressive. There are even tracts which were found in the ruins of Pompeii suggesting that the way to make your guard dog vicious is to tether him on a short chain. If you believe anecdotal evidence (this from my own eleven years of teaching dog obedience classes), dogs which have been tied out are either vicious, fearful and hand-shy or both."

Gary Gibson, founder, Custom Canine:
Developed standards for training and placement of therapy and institute dogs throughout the lower mainland. Developed a program to work with psychiatrists who help people dealing with their fear of dogs. In 1990 received Certification to adjudicate the Canine Good Citizen Test, an internationally recognized standard for companion and therapy dogs. Co-developed the Canine Super Citizen Test, which is being used as a standard for social and assistant dogs in BC.
"Society is starting to realize that dogs have psychological needs. When you start messing with a dog's mind and not giving it the things it needs on a day-to-day basis, you are abusing that dog. And those needs are much greater than food, water, and shelter. In particular dogs need to feel part of a pack, even if that pack is human."

2006 California limited tethering bylaw