13-05-2025
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.'
