A ban on the continuous chaining or tethering of dogs will be studied under a motion introduced earlier this week before the Metropolitan King County Council.

“Dogs who are continuously chained are nearly three times more likely to bite than unchained dogs, and the practice has been called inhumane by the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” said Council Chair Julia Patterson, prime sponsor of the motion. “For the purposes of both public safety and the prevention of animal cruelty, I want an analysis to determine if a ban on continuous chaining is practical and enforceable.”

According to the American Veterinary Association, dogs that are continuously confined by chain or tether may exhibit aggressive behavior toward humans and other animals. The proposed motion would direct the Executive to study the feasibility of banning continuous chaining of dogs and report the findings to the Council by the end of 2008.

The proposed motion calls for the final study to incorporate comments from the King County Sheriff, the King County Prosecutor, the King County Animal Control Officers Guild, the National Animal Control Association, and county residents. The study would also address the costs and challenges of implementing the ban in both unincorporated areas of King County and in suburban cities that contract with the County for animal control services.