Columbus, Georgia

Sec. 5-7.2. – Restraint.

(c) It shall be unlawful to tether an animal outdoors, except when all of the following conditions are met:

(1) No animal shall be tethered and left unattended for more than 12 consecutive hours in a 24-hour period. However, for up to the 12-hour maximum an animal may be on an approved tethering system as outlined in this section;

(2) No animal shall be tethered except on a three-point pulley system;

(3) Only one animal may be attached to each tethering system;

(4) Any tethering device used to tether an animal shall not allow the animal to cross over the owner’s property line;

(5) Tethers must be made of commercial approved leash or tethering material which cannot be chewed by the animal and shall not weigh more than five percent of the body weight of the animal; ropes and chains are not considered appropriate tethering material;

(6) The tether must be at least five times the body length of the dog and mounted no more than seven feet above the ground level;

(7) The length of the tether from the running cable line or pulley system to the animal’s harness should allow access to the maximum available exercise area allow the animal free access to food, water, and shelter;

(8) The animal must be attached to the tether by a properly fitted harness or collar with enough room between the collar and the animal’s throat through which two fingers may fit. Choke collars and pinch collars are prohibited for the purpose of tethering an animal;

(9) The tethering system must be a sufficient distance from any other objects or animals to prohibit the tangling of the cable, to prohibit the cable from extending over an object or an edge that could result in injury or strangulation of the animal and be of sufficient distance from any fence so as to prohibit the animal from having access to the fence;

(10) The animal is not tethered outside during periods of local extreme weather which shall include but not be limited to an excessive heat warnings issued by the National Weather Service, temperatures at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius), thunderstorms, tornados, tropical storms, or hurricanes;

(11) The animal is at least six months of age;

(12) The animal is not sick or injured; and

(13) Animals transported in the rear of open vehicles shall be placed on a tether anchored securely and of appropriate length to prevent the animal from jumping off or being thrown from a vehicle.