Every day, Barbara LaPresti saw the same heart-wrenching sight: her neighbor's pit bull in Riverview, tethered outdoors to a short chain come hellish heat or driving thunderstorms.
She finally couldn't take anymore, and last summer contacted Hillsborough Animal Services on four different occasions. But, according to an e-mail from Hillsborough County Animal Services Department Director Bill Armstrong, “The dog was never seen in distress.” He added that his department did not have "cause to remove the dog at this time but [will] continue to work the case as resources allow.”
Frustrated, LaPresti began a crusade for Hillsborough County to pass an anti-tethering ordinance, collecting signatures on a petition that she hopes to present to the Board of County Commissioners soon. Such measures have been passed in municipalities all over the U.S. and Florida, including Pinellas and Miami/Dade counties, but Hillsborough has never had one.
“Dogs that are tied up in chains live the most unhealthy life,” says LaPresti. “I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve heard about people who’ve seen their neighbors' dog die from strangulation, from being either wrapping themselves around a tree, or after they tried to get out and went over a fence.”
There is ample evidence that tethering dogs is a public safety issue – both for animals and humans.
This article appears in Aug 19-25, 2010.