Overland Park, Kansas

6.09.025 Abuse and Neglect of Animals.

A. No owner, keeper or harborer of an animal shall fail to provide the animal with adequate care, adequate food, adequate water, adequate health care, and adequate shelter. Such shelter should be clean, dry, and compatible with the condition, age and species. An animal must also have the opportunity for adequate daily exercise. This requires that an owner must offer some freedom from continuous chaining, stabling and tethering. The area where animals are kept must also be kept free from unsanitary conditions and vermin-harboring debris.

B. Tethering. For the purposes of this Section, “tethering” is the use of a chain, leash, tie, tether, rope or other device to restrain any animal to an inanimate object. It shall be unlawful to tether any animal in a manner that is inhumane, cruel, or detrimental to its welfare.

In addition to the above general requirements, the tethering of a dog shall be subject to the following conditions:

1. Dogs shall not be tethered outside except between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., and in no such instance shall a dog be tethered for more than 30 minutes without supervision. Supervision shall mean within the visual and auditory range of the owner, without the use of electronic means. 
2. Dogs shall not be tethered without access to shade when sunlight is likely to cause overheating, or appropriate shelter to provide insulation and protection against cold and dampness when the atmospheric temperature falls below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or to tether without securing the animals water supply so that it cannot be tipped over by the tether.
3. Dogs shall not be tethered in an open area where it can be teased or provoked by persons or in an area that does not provide the dog protection from attack by other animals.
4. Dogs shall not be tethered in an area where bare earth is present and no steps have been taken to prevent the area from becoming wet and muddy in the event of precipitation.
5. Any device used for the purpose of tethering a dog shall provide the dog at least ten feet in which to run.
6. Any device used for the purpose of tethering a dog shall not be of a weight that inhibits the free movement of the dog within the area tethered.
7. Dogs shall be tethered in such a manner as to prevent injury, strangulation or entanglement on fences, trees or other man made or natural obstacles.
8. It is unlawful to attach chains or other tether restraint implements directly to a dog without the proper use of a collar, harness, or other device designed for that purpose and all such tethering devices shall be made from a material that prevents injury to the animal.