Fort Dodge, Iowa

6.08.020 – Restraint of animals.

An owner may use a chain or other tether to restrain an animal under the following conditions:

(1) No animal shall be restrained by a chain or other tether for more than fourteen hours in a twenty-four hour period.

(2) The chain or other tether must be at least ten feet in length.

(3) The chain or other tether must be attached to a stable, fixed object and to a properly fitting collar or harness worn by the animal. Choke or prong collars are prohibited.

(4) The chain or other tether shall not weigh more than one-eighth of the animal’s body weight.

(5) The chain or other tether must have swivels on both ends.

(6) Chaining or tethering must be done in a manner to prevent the animal or tether from becoming entangled with other objects or animals or from extending over an object or edge that could result in strangulation or injury to the animal.

(7) Chaining or tethering must be done in a manner to permit the animal to consume adequate food and adequate water and unlimited access to adequate shelter.

(8) The chained or otherwise tethered animal cannot leave the property of the owner.

(9) No person shall chain or otherwise tether an animal in a way that permits the animal to pass onto, over or across any public sidewalk, street, alley, or private property other than the owners.