Irving, Texas

Sec. 6-10. – Tethering.

(a) A person commits an offense if he/she restrains an animal with any tying device including a chain, rope, tether, leash, or cable, to attach an animal, directly or indirectly, to a stationary object or trolley system.

(b) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under subsection (a) that:

(1) The restraint is required to protect the safety or welfare of a person or the animal; and

(2) The animal’s owner remains in direct physical control of the animal; and

(3) The restraint occurs on the owner’s private property and prevents the animal from being within ten (10) feet from the edge of any public right-of-way, street, sidewalk, park, other public land.

(c) The affirmative defenses provided in subsection (b) do not apply unless the restraint meets all of the following specifications:

(1) The chain, rope, tether, leash, cable, or other device is not attached to a choke-type, prong-type or pinch-type collar of any sort;

(2) The chain, rope, tether, leash, cable, or other device is attached to a properly fitted, collar or harness worn by the animal;

(3) The chain, rope, tether, leash, cable, or other device is not placed directly around the animal’s neck;

(4) The chain, rope, tether, leash, cable, or other device does not exceed more than one-tenth of the animal’s body weight;

(5) The chain, rope, tether, leash, cable, or other device, by design and placement, allows the animal a reasonable and unobstructed range of motion without entanglement; and

(6) The animal has access to adequate shelter and water as defined by sections 6-11(c) and 6-11(d).

(d) Nothing in this section authorizes an owner to allow an animal to run at large or to fail to provide restraint as required by section 6-80 of this chapter.