Phoenix council passes broad anti-tethering ordinance to restrict dogs tied outdoors

The Phoenix City Council voted unanimously to adopt ordinance G7524, updating Chapter 8, Article 1, Section 8-3.08 of the Phoenix City Code to limit the prolonged tethering of dogs outdoors and strengthen enforcement clarity.

A large group of animal-welfare volunteers and nonprofit representatives delivered in-person testimony before the council. Coco Garcia and volunteers from Hand Over Rover and Poverty’s Pets described cases of dogs kept on short tie-backs without access to water or shade, and called the ordinance a necessary step to reduce cruelty and prevent breeding-for-profit practices in vulnerable neighborhoods. Don Bentley and Kate Shivalala of Poverty’s Pets and other advocates told council members that a tethering rule tied only to a 100° threshold was confusing and insufficient to prevent suffering.

Advocates explained the ordinance’s intent: to ban most tethering unless the owner directly supervises the animal, to reduce enforcement ambiguity and to enable education and humane interventions. Council members thanked volunteers and city staff for years of work on the measure, noted committee-level review and cross-department collaboration on enforcement, and expressed support for accompanying education and community-outreach efforts.

Vice Mayor Hodge-Washington moved approval; roll-call voting recorded a 9–0 passage. Council members asked staff to continue community outreach to under-resourced neighborhoods and to coordinate with Maricopa Animal Care and Control and Neighborhood Services for enforcement and education.

The ordinance replaces the prior rule that relied primarily on high-temperature thresholds and is intended to create clearer, more consistent enforcement standards and outreach measures to reduce animal suffering.