Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) wants to change agreed upon language in Senate Bill 1025, sponsored by Sen. Lionell Spruill (D-Chesapeake), to force dog owners to maintain a 15-foot tether for each dog restrained by a chain, cable or other means. A special vote session is expected to take place April 3 in both chambers to approve the governor’s amendment. The current version of SB 1025 lowered the tethering length to 10 feet, a provision which was agreed to by both chambers previously.
Take Action Today! Virginia members should contact their state legislator and ask them to vote NO on Senate Bill 1025. Virginia sportsmen and sportswomen can contact their state legislator by using the Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Center.
“There is no evidence that demonstrates that the length of a temporary tether is connected to the health of a dog,” said Luke Houghton, associate state director for Sportsmen’s Alliance. “Many sportsmen use tethers to train their dogs for hunting, at field trials to keep them from wandering off and from unwanted contact with other dogs or people.”
Sporting dog organizations worked with legislators to reach a compromise on SB 1025 by implementing a 10-foot minimum (or three-times the body length of a dog) language in the current bill.
The governor’s amendment increasing the minimum length of a tie-out to 15 feet actually puts dogs in greater danger of entanglement with objects or other dogs, and raises the potential that trainers, field trailers and hunters will face undeserved fines for violations. Dog owners who fail to provide adequate shelter already face a Class 1 Misdemeanor, which comes with $2,500 fine under current law.
Virginia’s current animal-neglect and -cruelty laws are sufficient to protect the health and well-being of a dog. Adding additional length to the tethering requirement will cause more problems than it will ever address. Sportsmen spend thousands of dollars on, and even more hours with, their hunting dogs. They are family. Keeping the language agreed upon by all parties in place strikes a healthy balance that removes trainers, field trailers and hunters from prosecution for offenses that do nothing to improve the health of dogs.
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 capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
