Seminole, Florida

December 22, 2009

Unattended tethering of dogs is prohibited, and attended tethering is subject to certain provisions.

Sec. 18-110. – Supervision, confinement and tethering of canines.
(a) As used in this section, tether means to restrain a canine by typing [sic] the canine to any object or structure, including without limitation a house, tree, fence, post, garage, or shed, by any means, including without limitation a chain, rope, cord, leash, or running line. Tethering shall not include using a leash to walk a canine.
(b) It shall be unlawful for a responsible party to tether a canine while outdoors, except when all of the following conditions are met:
(1) The canine is in visual range of the responsible party, and the responsible party is located outside with the canine.
(2) The tether is connected to the canine 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: it is at least five times the length of the canine’s body, as measured from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail; it terminates at both ends with a swivel; it does not weigh more than 1/8 of the canine’s weight; and it is free of tangles.
(4) The canine is tethered in such a manner as to prevent injury, strangulation, or entanglement.
(5) The canine is not outside during a period of extreme weather, including without limitation extreme heat or near-freezing temperatures, thunderstorms, tornadoes, tropical storms, or hurricanes.
(6) The canine has access to water, shelter, and dry ground.
(7) The canine is at least six months of age. Puppies shall not be tethered.
(8) The canine 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 canines, each canine is tethered separately.
(c) This section shall not apply to the transportation of canines.
(d) For a first-time violation, the code enforcement officer shall issue a warning notice to the responsible party and shall wait at least ten days before taking any further enforcement action against the responsible party. Thereafter, each violation of this section shall be subject to enforcement in accordance with section 18-111 of this chapter or Chapter 2, Article V., Division 4 of the City Code. For all civil penalties for violations of this section collected pursuant to section 18-110, 50 percent of the amount collected shall be paid to Pinellas County Animal Services.