Lubbock animal-services officer outlines legal tethering requirements

Officer Aguirre of Public Animal Services outlined Lubbock's tethering rules, saying dogs may be tethered only if owners meet several specific requirements, including using a swivel tether, providing continuous access to food, water and shelter, and using a tether at least 20 feet long that is not a chain.

The guidance is intended to clarify conditions under which tethering is legal in Lubbock and what animal owners must provide to meet those conditions.

Aguirre said owners must use a swivel tether so the line "doesn't get tangled around the dog or anything else." He said tethered animals must be kept "completely in a fenced in area" and must have access to food, shelter and water at all times. Aguirre described the animal's shelter as needing an entrance so the dog "can leave and come as it pleases from inclement weather such as rain, snow, and extreme sunlight as we get in Lubbock quite a bit." He added that "the tether has to be at least 20 feet long and cannot be a chain. Chains are no longer acceptable forms of tethering."

On the legal status of tethering, Aguirre said, "As long as those guidelines are followed, it is perfectly legal and acceptable for you to tether your animal outside." The officer did not specify enforcement procedures, penalties or whether any recent ordinance changes prompted the clarification.

Pet owners seeking to comply should ensure their tether systems allow free movement (swivel), meet the length and material guidance, keep animals inside a fenced area, and provide uninterrupted access to food, water and a shelter with an entrance for protection from weather.