The Onondaga County Legislature is considering 2 proposals on Tuesday, April 3, that would impact the ability to keep a dog outside:
Legislator Ryan’s proposal would prohibit anyone from tethering a dog outdoors for more than 2 hours when the temperature is lower than 32 degrees or higher than 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Although it does exempt situations where a dog is on a leash and under direct supervision, this does not consider the needs of specific breeds that may thrive in temperatures outside these ranges, or those dogs that may not be able to tolerate even these temperatures.
Legislator Jordan’s proposal states that if an animal is left outdoors, it should be provided with adequate shelter, apparel or other protection from inclement weather appropriate to its breed, physical condition, and the climate. AKC believes this is a more positive approach that would protect the health and welfare of dogs while still allowing for humane and appropriate tethering.
We Need Your Help!
Animal rights activists are working hard to generate calls and emails and pack the legislative chambers to show support for Proposal A. We need all Onondaga County residents and those who participate in shows in the county to respectfully contact the Legislature and, if possible, attend the hearing to express your support for Legislator Jordan’s proposal and concerns/opposition to Legislator Ryan’s proposal.
Hearing Information:
Onondaga County Legislature
Council Chambers, 401 Montgomery St., Syracuse, NY
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
1:00 pm
Contact Information: Visit www.ongov.net/legislature/members to find the phone numbers and e-mail addresses for the County Legislature. Due to the number of emails legislators may receive from Animal Rights groups on this issue, we recommend calling in addition to emails.
For more information, contact AKC Government Relations at doglaw@akc.org.