K9 Commentary: Should it be Illegal to Keep Dogs Chained?

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I read a story today on Seattletimes.com about local government deciding whether to ban the confinement of dogs in small places and chaining dogs for long periods of time.

The argument for banning goes something like this: Dogs who are chained up are more likely to attack people because it can cause them to be more aggressive (according to the article, 10 of 33 fatal dog attacks that occurred in 2007 were committed by dogs that were tethered).

I’ve always had a negative view of dogs being chained up–years ago, I had a neighbor who left his dog chained up all day while he was at work. That dog just looked so bored and unhappy all day. It just seemed like a really bad way for a dog to spend most of its life.

I can see the point of the argument that dogs may exhibit aggression due to long periods of confinement. Lack of human interaction combined with seeing the world from the same spot in the back yard every day will most likely equal one very unbalanced dog.

Personally, I think it should be illegal to keep a dog chained up for long periods of time. It’s inhumane and no way to treat an animal. If you can’t keep your dog indoors and don’t have a fenced back yard, then why have a dog?

Should it be illegal for dogs to be chained up? Please share your opinions below.

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