Rio Rancho, New Mexico

90.18 Confinement of animals; running at large.

(C) No person shall chain an animal to a fixed point except under the following conditions:

(1) Fixed point attended restraint. An animal may be confined on a tether or on a leash when the owner or owner’s agent is outside, in the immediate vicinity of the animal, and the animal is within the owner’s or designee’s line of sight and the following conditions are met:

(a) The animal is over the age of six months; and

(b) The animal has easy access to adequate shade (a dog house does not constitute adequate shade) and potable water; and

(c) The restraint does not occur during times of extreme weather including but not limited to severe heat, severe cold, severe rain or severe wind; and

(d) The tether is fixed to a solidly anchored structure such as a swivel spike or post anchored into the ground and not to a moveable object such as a tire or other similar object. The post or spike must be fixed below ground level with a swivel protruding from the ground so that the tethered animal cannot become entangled on the spike or post; and

(e) The tether consists of a plastic-coated cable (a metal chain is not allowed); the minimum length must be at least three times the length of the animal from the tip of its nose to the distal end of its tail. In addition, the tether must not weigh more than one-tenth of the weight of the animal attached to the tether; and

(f) The tether is attached to the animal by means of a harness and the tether is secured by a swivel at each end; and

(g) The harness must be well-fitted so as not to cause sores or irritation to the skin of the animal; and

(h) The tether must be situated such that the animal is not allowed beyond the boundaries of the owner’s premises; and

(i) The area the animal has access to while tethered shall be free of hazards such as sharp edges, garbage, debris, other domestic animals, or other objects that the animal or tether could become entangled in, insect infestations (ant colonies, wasp nests, flea, tick, or maggot infestations). This area must be kept sanitary with feces being cleaned up regularly, but no less frequently than once a week to maintain sanitary conditions.

(2) Fixed point unattended restraint. Fixed point unattended restraint means (a) the animal is confined by a tether and the owner is not outside, or (b) animal is confined by a tether and the owner is not in the immediate vicinity of the animal, or (c) the animal is confined by a tether and is out of the line of sight of the owner. In this section, “owner” means the owner of the animal or the owner’s agent. Fixed point unattended restraint shall be considered lawful only if the restraint lasts less than 15 minutes and all of the following conditions are met:

(a) The animal is over the age of six months; and

(b) The animal has easy access to adequate shade (a dog house does not constitute adequate shade) and potable water; and

(c) The restraint does not occur during times of extreme weather including but not limited to severe heat, severe cold, severe rain or severe wind; and

(d) The tether is fixed to a solidly anchored structure such as a swivel spike or post anchored into the ground and not to a moveable object such as a tire or other similar object. The post or spike must be fixed below ground level with a swivel protruding from the ground so that the tethered animal cannot become entangled on the spike or post; and

(e) The tether consists of a plastic-coated cable (a metal chain is not allowed); the minimum length must be at least three times the length of the animal from the tip of its nose to the distal end of its tail. In addition, the tether must not weigh more than one-tenth of the weight of the animal attached to the tether; and

(f) The tether is attached to the animal by means of a harness and the tether is secured by a swivel at each end; and

(g) The harness must be well-fitted so as not to cause sores or irritation to the skin of the animal; and

(h) The tether must be situated such that the animal is not allowed beyond the boundaries of the owner’s premises; and

(i) The animal shall be surrounded by a barrier sufficient to protect the animal from an at-large mammal which is likely to cause harm to the dog and sufficient to prevent children from accidentally coming into contact with the animal; and

(j) The animal shall not be confined more than six nonconsecutive 15-minute periods during any 24-hour period; and

(k) The animal shall not be a female in estrus (in heat); and

(l) The area the animal has access to while tethered shall be free of hazards such as sharp edges, garbage, debris, other animals, or other objects that the animal or tether could become entangled in, insect infestations (ant colonies, wasp nests, flea, tick, or maggot infestations). This area must be kept sanitary with feces being cleaned up regularly, but no less frequently than once a week to maintain sanitary conditions.

(D) A person may confine their animal to a trolley system under the following conditions:

(1) A trolley permit from RRARC shall be applied for and granted and the appropriate fees paid before the animal may be confined to the trolley; and

(2) Issuance of the permit requires prior inspection of the premises by RRARC; and

(3) Permits are not transferable between premises without permission from RRARC; and

(4) An RRARC Agent, at her/his discretion, may revoke a trolley permit. Reasons for revocation may include, but are not limited to, the failure of the owner to comply with all the requirements and limitations, harm or injury to the animal, excessive barking of the tethered animal; and

(5) The following are the minimum requirements for trolley system:

(a) Only dogs may be restrained with a trolley system; the dog must be over the age of six months; the dog may not be a female in estrus (in heat); only one dog may be tethered to each cable run; and

(b) The dog has easy access to adequate shade (a dog house does not constitute shade), shelter, food and potable water; and

(c) The restraint does not occur during times of extreme weather including but not limited to severe heat, severe cold, severe rain or severe wind; and

(d) The cable run is fixed to a solidly anchored structure such as a post, tree, part of a building, and not to a moveable object such as a tire or other similar object. The cable run must be at least 10 feet in length and mounted either at ground level or at least four feet above ground level. The cable run must have secure stops to keep the pulley from traveling to the anchored structure so the animal does not become entangled around the structure; and

(e) The tether consists of a plastic-coated cable (a metal chain is not allowed); the minimum length must be at least 10 feet. In addition, the tether must not weigh more than one-tenth of the weight of the dog attached to the tether but must be of adequate strength to restrain the dog. The tether must be attached to a cable run by a pulley and swivel; and

(f) The tether is attached to the animal by means of a harness by a swivel; and

(g) The harness must be well-fitted so as not to cause sores or irritation to the skin of the dog; and

(h) The trolley system must be situated such that the dog is not allowed beyond the boundaries of the owner’s premises; and

(i) The dog shall be surrounded by a barrier sufficient to protect the dog from an at-large mammal which is likely to cause harm to the dog and sufficient to prevent children from accidentally coming into contact with the dog; and

(j) The dog shall not be confined to the trolley system for more than 10 hours in any 24-hour period. As part of the application, the owner shall designate which 10 hours the dog is to be confined to the trolley system. Although the owner may request a modification of their application as it concerns the hours of confinement, to confine the dog to the trolley outside the designated hours is unlawful; and

(k) The device must be fastened so that the dog can sit, walk, and lie down comfortably, and must be unobstructed by objects and fencing that may cause the device or animal to become entangled or strangled; and

(l) The area the animal has access to while tethered shall be free of hazards such as sharp edges, garbage, debris or other objects that the animal or tether could become entangled in, insect infestations (ant colonies, wasp nests, flea, tick, or maggot infestations). This area must be kept sanitary with feces being cleaned up regularly, but no less frequently than once a week to maintain sanitary conditions.