Durham County may approve pet-tethering ban by end of month

Durham County commissioners are expected to approve a ban on pet-tethering and chaining dogs later this month.

Commissioners met Tuesday to discuss changing the law.

The change would mean that chaining a dog outside would be considered animal abuse in most cases. Exceptions to the proposed law include veterinarians who are treating an animal and those training hunting dogs and police dogs.

Violators who leave dogs unattended could face fines and could lose their animals if they can't find another way to contain them.

Last week, nearly 150 residents attended a public hearing on the law, the majority appearing to favor outlawing pet-tethering.

The effort to change the law is the result of a two-year study that found a majority of animal cruelty complaints were related to improper tethering.