York County Council votes to prohibit tethering dogs

After months of debate, the York County Council has made it clear — it is illegal to tether dogs.

The council passed on third reading an amendment to the animal control law Tuesday night, which defines pets, certain animals, shelter, restraints, adoption procedure and costs. The council clarified the language to prohibit tethering of dogs.

Controversy over the law started when council member William “Bump” Roddey said at a public works meeting in June that he wanted to clarify if the 2012 animal control rules prohibited chaining or not. He said his request was misinterpreted and, as a result, people thought Roddey wanted to permit chaining.

The Animal Adoption League and others later called for county residents to oppose Roddey’s request to reintroduce chaining. Roddey said at the meeting he wanted to clarify his stance on the issue.

Roddey, who was on the council in 2012 when the earlier rules were written, said the council, which went through what he described as excessive review of the 2012 rules, was not clear on the ordinance’s language related to tethering. He said the rules passed then did not match what he and others believed they actually did.

“When we sat here in 2012, we did not pass that part of any legislation,” Roddey said at the most recent meeting. “We had parameters that allowed people to tether if they met certain conditions. I think that’s gotten twisted since 2012..... And I think it’s been totally unfair to come out and say people, or specifically me, that ‘Bump Roddey, is pushing or wanting to go backward and allow chaining.’”

After clarification of the rules, Roddey said the previous language essentially said tethering, or chaining, was permitted under certain conditions.

“It verifies, up until today, that anyone tethering their dog was within in the law,” Roddey said. “Some people stood up here before us and said we passed an anti-tethering back in 2012. That was not the case. What we’re doing today is basically passing an anti-tethering.”

The council voted 6-1 Tuesday night.

The amended rules included multiple changes, such as adding lawful passive restraint options, defining adequate shelter, defining dangerous animal and requiring proper disposal of dead animals. York County Animal Control Supervisor Bobbie Comer said passive restraints allowed in the county include trolley systems, kennels and fences.

Allison Love, council member, said on her Facebook page that the ordinance has been needed for years.

“We have accomplished one hell of a mission,” Love said. “It is a very long ordinance with many more updates written in favor of dogs and cats and other animals in need in York County.”

This story was originally published September 5, 2019 at 4:28 PM.