Take Action Today! Virginia members should contact their state delegate and ask them to vote NO on House Bill 646. HB 646 doesn’t protect dogs. It just criminalizes law-abiding dog owners who cannot afford fencing or costly buildings in which to house their dogs. Virginia sportsmen can contact their delegate by using the Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Center.
Legislation in Virginia would restrict the tethering of dogs under several circumstances without regard to the animal’s health, safety, individual breed attributes or necessary training and acclimation needs.
House Bill 646, sponsored by Delegate John J. Bell (D- Chantilly), would prohibit an owner from tethering a dog outside between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. It would also prohibit a dog owner from tethering a dog outside in temperatures below 32 degrees or above 85 degrees, even if the dog is accustomed to the temperatures or is a breed specifically used in for the temperatures. Tethering would be prohibited in these conditions, even if the dog has access to shelter, shade or water.
Regardless of the temperature or the time, no dog may be tethered for even a minute, if the owner is not home. Many sportsmen use tethers to maintain control of their dogs during hunts, field trials or while training. Under House Bill 646, a dog owner would be breaking the law even if the tethered dog was completely healthy and at no risk.
“Virginia already has sufficient animal cruelty laws to protect dogs from abusive owners,” said Luke Houghton, associate director of state services for the Sportsmen’s Alliance. “With House Bill 646, Delegate Bell wants to dictate how Virginians raise their dogs, even if the dogs are safe and healthy. This bill is unnecessary and discriminates against sporting dog owners.”
HB 646, will be heard on Jan. 22 in the Chesapeake & Natural Resources Subcommittee on Agriculture located in 400-B Subcommittee Room of the Virginia House of Delegates at 4:30 p.m.
Dog owners who violate the tethering restrictions could face a whopping $2,500 dollar fine and be charged with neglecting to provide shelter for a companion animal. Worse, HB 646 may in fact be dangerous for dogs because it will prevent dog owners from properly acclimating sporting dogs to colder and warmer weather. Tethers are also useful tools to prevent a dog from wandering or running off when let outside, further putting an animal in harm’s way.
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
