Animal rights advocates unhappy with changes to Gwinnett County’s dog-tethering laws dominated a Thursday town hall meeting in the county.
Commissioners last month approved a change to the law that would allow dogs to be tethered outdoors only between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., and only if the dog is on a trolley system with a 10-foot lead. That law goes into effect July 1.
Under the existing law, dogs could not be tethered outdoors for more than an hour, but commissioners said the time limit was unenforceable.
County residents questioned what led commissioners to make the change. They said being able to tether dogs for up to 14 hours posed a public health problem, as dogs that aren’t socialized tend to be more aggressive.
“Everything indicates it’s not good for dogs,” said Julie Minnucci, a Peachtree Corners resident who has three dogs. “I don’t think enough research was done.”
Susan Ruelle, a Bethlehem resident, suggested county residents pay for dog walkers or take pets to day care facilities instead of tethering them. Lori Kleinosky, who lives in Duluth, said dogs are social animals, and should not be left alone for that long.
“It is a humane issue, it is a public health concern,” said Lila Hunter, who has six dogs. “I think the answer to the problem is supervised dogs.”
Commissioners said their main concern in making the change was abused dogs. They didn’t want to criminalize people whose dogs were well taken care of, and were left outdoors.
“I think it needs to be clear what we consider abuse, and I don’t think tethering is abuse,” Commissioner Lynette Howard said.
She suggested changes might be needed to clarify the ordinance, to further define abusive behavior toward animals.
Commissioner Tommy Hunter said the new rules were a compromise among the commissioners.
“True neglect, true abuse, we’ve got to be able to define that in a way that’s enforceable,” he said. “We’ve got to be able to work across the county to not criminalize behavior just because we don’t like it.”
The town hall was the third this year in the county. The next town hall will be held at the Hudgens Center for the Arts May 12. It starts at 7 p.m., with an open house that begins at 6:15 p.m.
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