Wellington, Kansas

April 15, 2008

Dogs may not be tethered for longer than two consecutive hours or more than four total hours within a 24-hour period. Certain requirements must also be met when a dog is tethered.

Sec. 6-73. Tethering.

(a) Unless a dog is under the direct supervision of the owner and/or harborer, it shall be unlawful to keep a dog tethered in place for more than two hours at a time. After a break of not less than two hours off the tether, a dog may be tethered again for two hours. A dog may not be tethered more than four hours in any 24-hour period.

(b) Conditions of tethering are defined as follows:

(1) Dogs shall be tethered in such a manner as to prevent injury, strangulation or entanglement on fences, trees or other objects.

(2) Any chain or tether must be attached to a properly fitting collar, or to a harness that is worn by the dog. Collars shall not be of a choke type.

(3) No tether shall weigh more than one-eighth of the dog’s body weight.

(4) Any tether shall be at least ten feet in length and have swivels on both ends.

(5) Any tethering system used shall not allow the dog to leave the owner’s property.

(c) Exceptions to tethering are as follows: Overhead trolley tethering systems are allowed and not applicable to the provisions of subsection (a) of this section.

(d) Penalties for violation of this section are as follows:

(1) A violation of this section shall be an unclassified misdemeanor. Upon repeat offenses by the same person, the court shall have the discretion to remove the dog involved and place the animals with the county humane society for adoption.

(2) Any dog found to be tethered in violation of this section may, at the discretion of the animal control officer, be impounded and placed in a safe harbor until ordered by the court to be released. The owner of the impounded dog shall be responsible for any costs associated with the dog’s placement. If the owner fails to pay the impound costs, the subject dog may be considered for adoption through the county humane society.