Montevallo, Alabama

Sec. 4-30. – Duty to properly restrain dogs on private and commercial property.

(f) Dogs may be restrained by means of a trolley system attached to a pulley on a cable provided the following requirements are met:

(1) Trolley restraint shall be affixed in a manner that allows the dog free movement along the trolley, prevents the dog from becoming entangled, wrapped around any object and does not allow the leash to be shortened to allow for injury, strangling or restricting access to food, water, and shelter.

(2) The trolley restraint shall be of proper weight for the dog and shall be affixed to a properly fitted harness or collar with a swivel attachment. The harness must be made of a suitable material other than metal or chain and shall not cause damage or injury to the dog’s skin. Choke collars, pinch collars, and chains collars shall be deemed unlawful type restraint for tethering a dog to a trolley system.

(3) Only one dog shall be tethered to one trolley system.

(4) There shall be a swivel attachment on both ends of the attachment to help prevent tangling of the tether.

(5) The size and weight shall be of adequate size to restrain the dog but shall not be of excessive weight as determined by Montevallo Animal Control Officer considering the size, age, strength, and health of the dog.

(g) The length of the tether from the cable to the dog’s harness shall allow access to reasonable exercise and shall always allow continuous access to clean potable water, adequate food, and suitable shelter.

(h) The length of the cable tether shall be of appropriate configuration to confine the dog to the owner’s property, to prevent the tether from entangling in or extending over an object or edge that could cause injury to the dog.

(i) A dog may not be left on a tether more than twelve consecutive hours or overnight.

(1) Dogs may be tethered to a stationary object only if conditions (1) – (8) are met:

(i) A tether shall be equipped with a swivel on both ends.

(ii) A tether shall be a minimum of ten feet in length and shall be made of either metal chain or coated steel cable.

(iii) Tethers shall be attached to a buckle-type collar or harness and under no circumstances shall the tether itself be placed directly around a dog’s neck. Tethers shall not be used in conjunction with training collars such as choke or pinch-style collars.

(iv) The weight of the tether shall not exceed ten percent of the total body weight of the dog but shall be of sufficient strength to prevent breakage.

(v) The tether by design and placement shall allow the dog a reasonable and unobstructed range of motion without the possibility of entanglement, strangulation, or other injury. The tether shall allow the dog access to adequate food, water, and shelter.

(vi) Only one dog shall be attached to a single tether.

(vii) An animal control officer may in his/her discretion order a more restrictive tethering requirement if circumstances require and it is not detrimental to the health, safety, or welfare of a dog.

(viii) Exemptions. Citizens residing in townhomes, apartments, condos or similar multi-family housing units with lot sizes insufficient to meet the length and property line requirements specified in subsection (2) above, may only tether dogs for temporary exercise and relief.