From correspondent Tammy Grubb

The Board of Aldermen unanimously passed limits on dog tethering this week.

Police Chief Carolyn Hutchison said the town’s animal control officer estimates there are 40 to 50 locally tethered dogs.

Tethers can include ropes, chains, wires or other lines, even if the line is attached to a cable trolley system. Opponents say the practice is inhumane, and chained dogs are more likely to bark, be aggressive or bite, and become tangled or prevented from reaching food, water and shelter.

Several North Carolina communities, including Durham and Raleigh, have passed anti-tethering ordinances in the past few years. Orange County’s ordinance allows tethering for up to three hours in a 24-hour period, while Chapel Hill prohibits all tethering and sets minimum sizes for outside fences and kennels at 100 square feet for a dog under 20 pounds and 200 square feet for a 20-plus-pound dog.

Carrboro’s new ordinance adopts those fencing requirements but allows tethering up to seven consecutive days for hunting; field, water, obedience or law enforcement training; or veterinary treatment. An owner or keeper also may tether a dog if they are nearby or with the dog, or if a stray dog is being kept during the search for its owner.

We'll have a full story on the new anti-tethering rules coming Sunday in The Chapel Hill News.

Some people might get the impression that the Town of Clayton is more concerned about water consumption than animals. Sound ridiculous?

New rules require owners of new landscaping to obtain a permit if they want to irrigate more often than current rules allow. For the first offense, Clayton will fine you $250. If you tether a dog, the town will fine you $50 the first time. In other words, it is a worse crime irrigate new landscaping without the proper permits than it is to let a dog be chained to a tree outside for possibly several hours.

I don’t think the town intended for people to view the new ordinances negatively. But, for animal lovers like myself, the low violation cost sends the wrong message. I’ve never been a fan of tethering dogs. If you can, install a fence or dog run or keep them enclosed. Owners can crate-train their dogs if they do not want their dog running loose. If you need to tether the dog to wash the car or mow the lawn, that is fine. But leaving a dog tethered all day is unacceptable.

Of course, residents should obey the rules for irrigating new landscaping. But if you irrigate new landscaping without the permit on a wrong day, you get slapped with fines up to $500. You will also face the threat of your water being shut off for 45 days. Fines don’t get that high for animal cruelty. But perhaps, it is time they should.