New Delaware law limits how long pets can be tied up

Delaware will still allow dog owners to tie up their pets, but limit the length of time they can do it.

 

Governor Jack Markell signed into law another definition to the cruelty to animals law by saying that no home owner can keep their pet tied up for more than 18 hours during a 24 hour day.  The Governor and two of the sponsors of the bill, Rep. Earl Jaques (D-Glasgow), and Sen. Patty Blevens (D-Elsmere) were in the Stanton headquarters of the Delaware SPCA.

Jaques told the story of a person who lives in his neighborhood keeps their dog tied up 24/7.  This bill would stop that.  “Most pet owners don’t deliberately keep dogs tied up for long hours, but unfortunately, there are situations where this occurs and we want to prevent cruelty to animals,” said Markell.

Anne Cavanaugh, the Executive Director of the Delaware SPCA, said it took over 2 years to get the bill passed. She said a compromise was eventually worked out that exempted animals who are on land of over 10 acres. .  “This is an important addition to our anti-cruelty efforts; we do not believe that dogs should spend their lives on the end of a chain. Thank you to all the Delawareans that supported this bill and to the legislators who voted for its passage,” she said.