The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the following statement in the Federal Register against tethering:

"Our experience in enforcing the Animal Welfare Act has led us to conclude that continuous confinement of dogs by a tether is inhumane. A tether significantly restricts a dog’s movement. A tether can also become tangled around or hooked on the dog’s shelter structure or other objects, further restricting the dog’s movement and potentially causing injury."

If we tried to invent the cruelest punishment for dogs, we probably couldn’t come up with anything worse than "solitary confinement" on a chain. People have invented different excuses for continuously tethering their dogs outdoors. One pretext is that the dog will guard them. Common sense tells us that a dog that is loved and well cared for is far more likely to warn her family of danger and protect them. Another justification is that the dog "misbehaves." As a pack animal, it is a dog’s deepest desire to cooperate; it is the owner’s responsibility to provide adequate socialization and training.

Dogs are naturally social beings. To become well-adjusted companion animals, dogs should interact regularly with people and other animals, and should receive regular exercise. Even an otherwise friendly and docile dog kept continuously chained can suffer immense psychological damage, becoming neurotic, unhappy, anxious, and often aggressive.

Rarely does a chained or tethered dog receive sufficient care. Tethered dogs often suffer from sporadic feedings, overturned water bowls, inadequate veterinary care, no shelter, and extreme temperatures. In addition, dogs forced to live on a chain may suffer harassment and teasing from insensitive humans, stinging bites from insects, and attacks by other animals. In many cases, the necks of chained dogs become raw and covered with sores, the result of the dog’s constant yanking and straining to escape confinement. It is not uncommon to find dogs with collars embedded in their necks, the result of years of neglect at the end of a chain.

The areas in which tethered dogs are kept are usually so beaten down by the dog’s pacing, that the ground consists of nothing but mud or dirt. In addition, the dogs are forced to eat, sleep, urinate and defecate in a single area. Finally, the dog’s tether can become entangled with other objects, which can choke the dog to death.

Many communities have passed laws that regulate the practice of tethering animals by prohibiting the chaining or tethering of dogs as a means of continuous confinement by making it illegal to tether a dog outdoors for more than eight hours a day. However, according to the O.R.C. and LC regulations, it is not against the law to keep a dog permanently tethered. If a tethered dog has shelter and water and is in good weight, it is an acceptable practice. Meanwhile, if you know of a tethered dog whose basic requirements of proper shelter, food and fresh water are not being met, please report it to our Cruelty Investigation Team at 419-891-9777. The Toledo area Humane Society recommends that pets be indoors most of the time because as members of the family as they are safer, healthier, happier and better behaved.