Petition against tethering in Kamloops gaining traction
KAMLOOPS – Earlier this month city council dismissed the idea of pursuing an anti-tethering bylaw for the city because they had not heard many complaints. Now a local dog rescue is hoping a petition with 1,500 signatures will be enough for city council to sit up and take notice.
In a letter to council at the end of December city resident Claudine Sleik asked for an anti-tethering bylaw to be enacted to help protect dogs from being tethered outdoors for extended periods of time.
At a meeting earlier this month several city councillors approached the idea tentatively, noting they had not heard complaints from the public and Enforcement Manager Jon Wilson confirmed the bylaws department receives few complaints as well.
Councillors Dieter Dudy, Denis Walsh and Donovan Cavers each were in favour of looking into the idea with Walsh noting it would be an improvement to animal rights. Other councillors felt there was not enough need for an anti-tethering bylaw in Kamloops right now and were concerned whether it would be yet another dog bylaw that would take up too much city resources at the cost of taxpayers.
Just over a week after the Jan. 13 decision to dismiss the idea, Pommy Country Pomeranian Rescue, a North Thompson dog rescue, began an online petition to ask council to put a bylaw in place that would limit the amount of time a dog can be tied up outside.
The rescue notes dogs are social creatures and keeping them chained up is a form of animal cruelty. They cannot run from dangers, they are less likely to be able to seek shelter and they can choke themselves to death if they get tangled.
Four days in, the petition has already garnered 1,450 signatures, just shy of the goal of 1,500. While some of the signatures are from the Kamloops region, many are from around the world and almost all express disgust for people who choose to chain their dogs up or sadness for the dogs that must live in those conditions.
So far 14 municipalities and two regional districts have adopted some sort of anti-tethering bylaw. The B.C. SPCA does have bylaws outlined on its website but Wilson says those are drafted specifically as SPCA bylaws and would need to be balanced with the needs of a municipality bylaw if council did wish to look at creating a local bylaw on tethering.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
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44 responses
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Get that dog inside this is the worst winter ever , take him in where it’s warm .A nice dog house filled with straw would be nice .But if you love your dog bring him in the house or he’s going to freeze to death please do something
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It´s about bloody time the city councillorsin the USA step into the 20th century. Nodog or other animal should be chained in 2015!
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Don’t get a dog if you don’t intend to have the dog be a house pet and part of your family!
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THESE PEOPLE SHOULDN’T BE ALLOWED TO OWN ANIMALS OF ANY KIND//THIS ABUSE HAS TO BE STOPPED//.
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Animals rely on us for their care.It is abuse to chain a companion animal outside in freezing temperatures.This is deplorable!
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This needs to end!As humans, we can do better.Would you leave your children outside in the freezing cold like this?These are warm blooded beings.If you can’t treat them right, then don’t bother to own one of these loving creatures!
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this is horriable please gat this doggie to a safe warm place.. OPEN your eyes people how can you thinkthis is ok?
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Please get them off the chains. A dog is a pet and Alive with feelings. Stop this cruelty.
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Get these lovely loyal animals off chains, if you wouldn’t like it neither would they, they are being tortured, END CHAINING NOW, WICKED bastards
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PLEASE SHARE TO END DOG CHAINING 4EVER! Spare a moment to end a lifetime of suffering! http://youtu.be/GZn5qKJs2rU
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so friggin cold in Canadabring the dogs in.this is so cruel. that poor dog. wish icould take him into my home’.
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an animal cant defend himself when he is on a chain if you love your animal they should be part of the family.
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end dogs being chainedthis should be animal abuse tougher laws are needed to protect these animals no animal should live on a chain.
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These dogs need water when it is this cold and more food.Would love to chain these people out for about an hour and see how they feel.Dogs cannot talk, but if you listen to them, they can communicate how they feel if you just listen.We live in sad times.Don’t get a dog if you cannot treat it like a FRIEND.That is all they want to be.
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Put em in a speedo or string bikini and chainthem to a tree at night and see what happens in the AM.
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you would never tie your child to a tree dogs deserve the same respect they are family not a decoration.
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SHAME on some humans, these beautiful really should be loved and warm inside, scum bag humans who do this need a jail term.
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Could someone just go to where the dog is and throw down hay so it has something to curl up in. Please!
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That poor little dog chained out in the freezing cold and trying to curl up in the snow to try and get warm with dish upside down! It is sickening that people do this to a poor innocent animal that wants nothing more than to love its owner and give his owner so much happiness.I cannot understand why there is no law against this terrible cruelty to animals who are so h. elpless. Would like to chain the owner up and let him lie in the snow for hours and see how he likes it!
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stop it canada and pass the law for animal safety and protection,,, can we leave your kids in the cold on a leash <<<<<.
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Bring them inside and let them sleep with you on your bed and they will keep you warm and protected, they deserve that and more. My three sleep with me every night.
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if you don’t have enough love for dog to bring them in when its freezing out give them to someone who will,this is abuse you know I pray you get reported.
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The link to the petition is in the story. Adding it here again in case you missed it: https://www.change.org/p/kamloops-city-council-we-want-the-city-of-kamloops-to-put-a-time-limit-by-law-on-the-length-of-time-a-dog-is-allowed-to-be-tied-up-outside.
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Do not get any animal if you have to chain it and that baby lives outside. I have a little warm cock-a-poo that snuggles every night. That is the best ever.
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The owner can lie and say they just put the dog out, or they were about to bring them in…even though they’d been chained for hours…the laws to be very specific, no tethering of any kind at night, dog must be brought in by sundown…and a long light leash for the time period they can be left out during the day…and warm stable shelter for the time period…
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Dogs are not lawn ornaments .If you want some go to Canadian Tire and buy some ?Fur Baby’s have feelingsas well And if you can’t take proper care of them please give them to someone that will …..
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I pray this will, for once and for all, put an END TO CHAINING VULNERABLE ANIMALS WHO WANT NOTHING MORE THAN TO ADORE THEIR HUMANS!
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