A life at the end of a chain is no life at all.

After hearing from PETA, the Portsmouth, Virginia, City Council agreed with that sentiment and recently replaced one of Hampton Roads’ weakest tethering ordinances—which allowed dogs to be tethered for three consecutive hours in a 24-hour period—with one of the best: Now, chaining is prohibited unless guardians are outside and within 35 feet of their animal companions .

Council members probably heard the cheers all the way from PETA’s Sam Simon Center headquarters in Norfolk, which sits across the Elizabeth River from Portsmouth.

Not only is an outright ban on tethering easier to enforce, it also gives dogs the protection that they deserve.

Many tethered dogs are denied food, water, shelter, exercise, and veterinary care—and even when tethered briefly without supervision, they’re vulnerable to the oppressive heat and frigid cold, diseases, parasites, and cruel humans who tease, taunt, and torment them—or even shoot at, stab, or poison them—among other dangers.

They’re also at risk of being strangled to death if they catch or hang themselves on fences and of being hit by cars and trucks if they break their tethers and run onto busy roadways.

Chaining puts the public at risk, too. Since 2003, at least 450 people —most of them children—have been injured or killed in the U.S. by chained dogs and dogs who broke free from their chains. Because of their intense confinement and deprivation, tethered dogs can become aggressive and overly territorial: They’re three times more likely to bite than dogs who aren’t tethered.

But perhaps the worst effect of tethering is that it denies dogs what they want most: love and companionship. Dogs are part of the family—they should be living inside with the rest of their pack.

What You Can Do
Find out where your community stands on tethering, and if unattended tethering is allowed, attend a city council meeting or write to city hall and demand that the law be changed. You can find free online resources and a campaign booklet that you can download here.

Written by Craig Shapiro