About 50 letters have gone out so far to educate dog owners that they need to get their pets off chains.
“Some people think we are going to walk up to their door and ticket them. That’s not how we do things,” said Karen Walsh, executive director of McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center, which handles the city’s animal control.
The City Council passed an ordinance a month ago that makes it illegal to chain, tie or tether any dog for more than 12 hours.
Ms. Walsh said this week that animal control officers have started recording the addresses of places where they see dogs chained up. They also have investigated complaints about chained-up dogs, she said.
The first step, though, is education, she said. The McKamey Center will first send a certified letter, informing the owner that they can get their pet off the chain by putting up fencing. The next step is a warning, she said, and the last step is a citation to court.