Meadowlakes, Texas

Sec. 4-5. – Restraint.

(c) A person commits an offense if an owner, caregiver or keeper of any dog restrains or anchors a dog by means of a tether, chain, cable, rope or cord, unless the tether or other restraint is being personally held by the owner, caregiver or keeper of the dog. No dog may be attached to any object or structure, including, without limitations, a house, tree, fence, post, garage, shed or other inanimate object, by any means.

(d) It shall be unlawful to tether a dog while outdoors, except when all of the following conditions are met:

(1) The dog is in a visual range of the responsible party, and the responsible party is located outside with the dog.

(2) The tether is connected to the dog by a buckle-type collar or a body harness made of nylon or leather, not less than one inch in width.

(3) The tether has the following properties:

a. It is at least five times the length of the dog’s body, as measured from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail;

b. It terminates at both ends with a swivel;

c. It does not weigh more than one-eighth of the dog’s weight; and

d. It is free of tangles.

(4) The dog is tethered in such a manner as to prevent injury, strangulation or entanglement.

(5) The dog is not outside during a period of extreme weather, including but not limited to extreme heat or near freezing temperatures, thunderstorms, tornadoes, tropical storms, or hurricanes.

(6) The dog has access to water, shelter and dry ground.

(7) The dog is at least six months of age. Puppies shall not be tethered.

(8) The dog is not sick or injured.

(9) Pulley, running line, or trolley systems are at least 15 feet in length and are less than seven feet above the ground.

(10) If there are multiple dogs, each dog is tethered separately.