Town of Plattsburgh approves dog tether law
PLATTSBURGH — The Town of Plattsburgh has approved its own dog tethering law after a local woman's efforts to get a Clinton County-wide law have yet to be successful.
According to the town law, dog tethering or tying a dog outside during a weather event that poses 'an adverse risk to the health or safety of a dog based on breed, age or physical condition' for longer than 15 minutes is now prohibited; this includes tethering during temperatures above 85 degrees and temperatures below 32 degrees.
However, the temperature aspect is dependent on the 'breed of dog' and its 'tolerance to the heat or cold.'
Town Supervisor Michael Cashman said the town's law was modeled after the one put forth by Jennifer Jewett, a long-time advocate for a county-wide dog tether law that would ban tying dogs outside 24/7.
The town's law, though, did not outline a 24/7 tether ban or any specific time limit beyond the 15-minute ban during a weather event.
'We are extremely grateful that Town Supervisor Mike Cashman and his board members took the time to create and approve their own Dog Tether Law,' Jewett said.
'There are so many ways to write a dog tether law. Some are stricter than others, but if a tether law provides added protection for chained dogs, we'll accept it as a win. We do hope that in the future the Town of Plattsburgh will tighten up their law, so that it stops 24/7 dog tethering.'
Cashman said he had hoped the county would pass a tether law, so each of the 17 municipalities in the county would have the same, uniform law, but when that didn't happen, he knew the town would get its own done.
'It is a means by which to further protect man's best friend or person's best friend,' he said.
'I jokingly said a number of times … what do you call a dog? A North Country doorbell, because everybody's got one. So this law ensures that dogs have the habitat and resources, and that they're not susceptible to all of the conditions where they could be harmed.'
The law now states that it will be unlawful in the town of Plattsburgh to:
- Endanger such dog's health, safety and well-being.
- Limit the movement of such dog because it is too short for the dog to move around or for the dog to urinate or defecate in a separate area from the area in which it must eat, drink or lie down.
- Deny such dog the opportunity to exercise and engage in normal social interactions on a regular basis.
- Leave any dog tethered to a fixed point, attached to an overhead dog run, or trolley system or placed in a dog enclosure unattended on vacant or abandoned property.
- Leave a dog without access to shade, food, clean, fresh and potable water, shelter and dry ground without becoming entangled.
There are also specifications on tethering restraints and enclosures including:
- A dog shall not be tethered to a fixed point, running line, pulley or trolley system or any other system by means of a pinch collar.
- A tethered dog, or dog confined to an enclosure must have access to appropriate shelter that will allow the dog to remain dry and to be protected from the elements.
According to the law, a violation of any provisions of it can carry fines and eventually even jail time, with increasing consequences for each offense:
- First offense carries a fine of $250 and/or an educational component at the judge's discretion.
- Second offense carries a fine of $500 and/or an educational component at the judge's discretion.
- Third offense carries a fine of $1,000 and/or imprisonment for no more than 15 days, or both, surrender of the dog, if ordered by the court, and costs of investigation and prosecution.
Being the biggest municipality in the county, Cashman said he hopes other towns, which may still be hesitant to pass a law, will eventually follow the Town of Plattsburgh's lead.
'It is a milestone, but again, it goes back to … we would have wished for a county-wide law,' Cashman said.
'We were asked, and it didn't occur, but we had an opportunity to act, so we did that. As everybody knows, I'm a dog lover. I have three dogs myself.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Popular fashion chain to open 10 new stores and upgrade 30 more branches
The fashion and homeware retailer has not published a full list of new locations, but revealed it wants to expand its footprint in London, Essex, Hampshire and Northern Ireland Matalan has announced plans to open ten new and relocated stores this year as part of a £25million investment. The fashion and homeware retailer has not published a full list of new locations, but revealed it wants to expand its footprint in London, Essex, Hampshire and Northern Ireland. Matalan will also upgrade 30 existing stores, including improving layouts and store designs, for example by relocating services such as fitting rooms and tills, plus easier-to-use self-service checkouts in larger checkout areas. Some of its recently refurbished stores include Croydon, Linwood, Bristol Filton, and Dumfries. It marks the first phase of a long-term plan to modernise its store estate over the next three to five years, and comes after the retailer secured £25million of additional funding from investors last month. Matalan will also use the new funding to invest in the launch of a new app. Matalan has around 230 stores across the UK and 50 international branches. James Dorling, Matalan's Property Director, said: 'Matalan storefronts have been a fixture of UK communities for 40 years, so it is only right that bricks-and-mortar retail remains at the centre of our transformation programme. 'With ten exciting new store openings and extensive refurbishments across our estate, this investment marks a step-change in our strategy – creating a better, more seamless shopping experience for our loyal existing customers, while also introducing the Matalan brand to new consumers.' But in less good news, Matalan recently recalled three children's clothes products over fears tots could end up getting strangled. The retailer pulled its blue shark rash vest and shorts, its seersucker swimshorts in blue and boys tie dye swimshorts. If you've purchased one of these products, you should return it to your nearest Matalan for a full refund. You won't need your receipt to get your money back. These items were on sale from January 12, 2025 until March 17, 2025. In a recall notice published by Matalan, the retailer said: 'It has come to our attention that the above Boy's swim shorts do not meet our usual high standards for quality and safety, as there is high possibility of Entrapment and Strangulation with the draw cord. 'As customer safety is our highest priority, we are immediately recalling these swim shorts. If you've bought any of the swim shorts shown above, please do not use the product and return it at your earliest convenience to your nearest Matalan store where our staff will be happy to give you a full refund. 'You will not need to produce a receipt to claim a refund. If you have bought the above for someone else or know someone who has one then please let them know immediately about this notice.'
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
John Lewis to slim down staff committee to accelerate decisions
John Lewis is preparing to radically slim down an influential staff committee in a bid to accelerate decision-making. The retail giant will cut the size of its partnership council by a quarter from this autumn, meaning the number of staff sitting on the committee will fall from 57 to 43. It forms part of an attempt to bolster turnaround efforts at John Lewis, as bosses scramble to improve productivity. The partnership council is John Lewis's most senior staff committee and forms a crucial pillar of its democratic structure. Staff elected to the council can steer how the partnership is run, including holding regular votes on strategy and having the ability to change its constitution. They are also consulted on issues such as staff bonuses and have a small portion of the total budget to invest in wellbeing benefits. In extreme circumstances, they also have the power to dismiss the chairman. John Lewis is understood to have told staff the planned shake-up has been driven by the fact that its current structure 'relies too heavily on hierarchy and escalation'. Under the planned staff rethink, the partnership will also bring back local forums, which will allow staff across its Waitrose supermarkets and department stores to put forward their views. The changes will come into force from October. It comes as John Lewis kicks ahead with a turnaround push to return the business to 'sustainable' profits, after years of losing ground to rivals. The partnership lost money for three years in a row before returning to profit in 2023. In its most recent accounts for the year to the end of January, profits before tax and exceptional items jumped from £42m to £126m, while sales rose by 3pc to £12.8bn. Jason Tarry, who replaced Dame Sharon White as chairman last year, said John Lewis needed to focus on 'considerable catch-up investment in our stores and supply chain'. John Lewis said it reviewed its democratic model every three years when the council term concluded. A spokesman said: 'This will see a stronger focus on local forums to raise local partner opinion alongside a tighter partnership council to support faster decision making. 'The updates have been made in close consultation with our partners – and the power of our council, and the vital role it plays in governing our business remains unchanged.' Recently, the partnership has been facing mounting pressure to restore its staff bonus, which it axed to focus on improving stores and boosting pay rates. Last year marked the third consecutive year that staff did not receive their partnership bonus, and only the fourth time since 1953. In recent weeks, a petition on the campaign website Organise gained more than 4,000 signatures from workers past and present demanding the bonus be reinstated. A spokesman for John Lewis said: 'Our partners understand that we're focused on improving their base pay and investing to create a sustainable business. 'Our bonus remains an important feature of our employee-owned model, and we confirmed in March that we're determined to reinstate it as quickly as possible. We're proud of our unique benefits package and we want to do even to recognise our brilliant partners.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Evening Standard
16 minutes ago
- Evening Standard
Alphawave agrees £1.8bn takeover by America's Qualcomm
Outrage as boy, 8, turned away from treatment at London NHS clinic 'because he attends private school' Outrage as boy, 8, refused NHS treatment 'for going to private school'
