Oakland Park, Florida

July 5, 2006

This ordinance prohibits the tethering of dogs who are pre-adolescent and cats. It also prohibits the tethering of any dog during periods of extreme weather or for longer than 15 minutes between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Any tethering of dogs during other times must meet certain conditions.

Sec. 4-23. Supervision and confinement; tethering.

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person who owns or any person who is in charge or in control of any dog, cat or other animal to confine or tether that animal outdoors during periods of extreme weather or during a period during which a hurricane warning or tropical storm warning is in effect.

(b) It shall be unlawful for any person who owns or any person who is in charge or in control of any dog, cat or other animal who confines that animal outdoors on private property to fail to provide the animal with:

(1) Food and potable water; and

(2) Adequate shelter, which shall mean ventilated protection for the animal from the elements and which shall provide room for each animal to stand erect, sit, lie down and fully turn around; and

(3) Periodic supervision, which shall mean that each animal is provided with fresh food and potable water and inspected for injury or poor health at least once during every twelve (12) hours; and

(4)) Adequate space for exercise, which shall mean no less than one hundred fifty (150) square feet per animal; and

(5) A fenced yard, an electronic fence or an enclosure that is sufficient to prevent the animal from escaping; or

(6) A tether which may be employed subject to the following regulations:

a. It shall be unlawful for any person who owns or any person who is in charge or in control of any pre-adolescent dog to tie, chain or otherwise tether outdoors that pre-adolescent dog .

b. It shall be unlawful for any person who owns or any person who is in charge of or in control of any cat to tie, chain or otherwise tether outdoors a cat.

c. It shall be unlawful for any person who owns or any person who is in charge or in control of any dog which has reached the adolescent stage to tie, chain or otherwise tether outdoors that dog between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. except that a dog of any age may be temporarily tethered, tied or chained outdoors for a total time period not exceeding fifteen minutes.

d. At other times, it is permitted to tie, chain or otherwise tether outdoors an adolescent or older dog if the dog is harnessed by a properly fitting body harness that is fastened to either:

(i) A tether that is at least ten feet long and that is free from entanglement and that allows the dog to move unheeded;

(ii) An overhead run, which is at least ten feet long to which the dog’s body harness is attached by a leash or chain that allows the dog to move unheeded.

(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit an owner or keeper from controlling a dog, cat or animal kept as a pet by the handheld use of a rope, leash, or chain, when total weight of the collar together with the chain, rope, or tether does not exceed on-sixteenth [sic] (1/16) the body weight of the animal.