With the revision process for Walker County, Georgia’s animal ordinance winding down, many residents have given their thumbs-up to the latest version of the draft, published earlier this month. But one local resident said she still is waiting to see tighter restrictions on tethering.
For the last two years, Gina Dorsett has been among others in Georgia fighting for tether regulations to be implemented statewide. Georgia is one of 28 U.S. states with no laws on the tethering of animals.
Dorsett said she believes banning tethering altogether or having stricter regulations, such as a time limit for dogs to be chained – which Walker’s revised ordinance now does not have – is a must. She presented photos at last week’s public hearing to explain why.
“This is a dog – you probably can’t even tell,” Dorsett said of one photo. “It’s so twisted and tied up on the tether from the wires, it has died. It strangled itself to death.”
Dorsett, who regularly volunteers at the Walker County Animal Shelter and Chattanooga’s McKamey Animal Center, said she doesn’t want to see the same thing happen to more dogs in Walker. She added that leaving dogs chained up also puts others, especially children, at risk, as the animals are unable to tell the difference between friend and foe when tied up with no chance to learn to socialize.