Dougherty County Commissioners will consider an ordinance to ban tethering dogs outside, according to the Albany Herald.
Dougherty County is looking at a significant overhaul of its animal control ordinances, with some of the proposed changes including the prohibition of keeping dogs tethered or chained and the sale of animals in public areas or flea markets.
The draft of the proposed ordinance calls for allowing tethering of dogs temporarily while the owner is present or in a park or recreational area where tethering is required. However, it does mean that keeping dogs restrained by a leash or chain is not allowed as the primary method of restraining them.
The proposed ordinance was presented to the Dougherty County Commission for review and will come up for adoption later this month. The proposed ordinance, with a planned addition of a section dealing with vicious or dangerous dogs added that was not in the proposal, will not apply to farm livestock and work animals.
In addition to the prohibition of keeping dogs tethered or chained as their primary form of containment, banning the sale of dogs by unlicensed breeders is another modern component that needed to be addressed, [Dougherty County Animal Control Officer Tamara] Piercey said.
“It’s a real problem,” she said. “The people with animals at the flea market, there’s no accountability. They come on Saturday or Sunday. They bring animals from other counties. A lot of the animals are sick or infected with diseases.”
At the Albany Humane Society, Director Payton Jarrell said she approves the prohibitions on dogs living their lives tethered outdoors and streetside, and flea market sales. The Humane Society contracts with the county to house stray and vicious animals picked up in unincorporated areas.
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