YORK -- Chaining a dog still will be legal under the tethering policy the York County Council approved Monday night.
Leaders unanimously voted to update the county's animal laws, including the addition of a controversial tethering policy that drew the ire of animal rights groups, who supported most other changes to the guidelines.
"The ordinance that is proposed, basically, is quite good," said Margaret Barnes of Tega Cay. "My big beef, if you want to put it, is ... dogs being allowed to be chained. If you want a living lawn ornament, put your dog on a chain."
Barnes urged council members ban tethering with the exception of a trolley or zip line system.
"It gives them a little bit more freedom," she said. "It isn't perfect, but the dog is under control, which I think is probably what your main concern was. ... These (animals), like children, are beings that do not have a voice. And if we don't speak up for them ... no one else is going to do it."
The trolley line was one of the three options the county staff put forward during an October workshop about updating local animal laws.
The county had been working to update its animal laws for months, but tethering became the most controversial policy issue after authorities seized 13 pit bulls from a Rock Hill home in July.
Police found a dozen dogs that lacked adequate shelter and were restrained by logging chains. Some of the animals didn't have access to water, and none of the dogs had tags indicating they had received rabies shots.
Then in August, several animal rights groups asked the County Council to ban tethering, claiming that chaining makes dogs more aggressive and that it often leads to neglect. At the same meeting, several tethering proponents told the council that responsible pet owners should not be restricted because of others' cruelty.
Officials laid out three possible policies in October, including prohibiting tethering of any kind.
But council members opted for a plan that allows tethering, with certain restrictions.
Under the proposed guidelines -- which council members must approve two more times before they become permanent -- there are certain requirements for the length, weight and location of the chain.
For example, a chain or tether must be at least 10 feet in length and can't weigh more than 10 percent of the dog's body weight.
For York's David Morrison and his friends, those conditions are fine.
"That's the way all of our dogs are chained anyway," said Morrison, a member of the Palmetto State American Pit Bull Terrier Club, who sported a pin that said, "If you are bitten by my tethered dog, you are trespassing."
Prohibiting tethering altogether, Morrison said, would create a disaster scenario where the county animal shelter is overloaded with dogs because their owners can't afford to build kennels for them.
But tethering opponents counter that a trolley system makes more economic sense because some trolleys cost as little as $15.
Despite their disagreements with the council on the chaining issue, those in the anti-tethering camp were pleased to see some of what they called progress.
"Any change is a good change," said Martha Holcombe of the Animal Adoption League. "Having limitations on the types of chain you can do will eliminate some of the dog-fighting issues."
Holcombe was pleased with some of the other updates to the animal laws, such as tougher requirements for providing animals shelter.
The new policy also gives enforcement powers to animal control officers, including the ability to serve search warrants and ticket those suspected of violating the county's animal policies.
No County Council members discussed tethering during Monday's meeting.
A second vote is slated for Jan. 5.
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