A Maine animal advocacy group says it will now seek a law requiring that chained dogs be unchained at least two hours daily. The group, Maine Friends of Animals, played a pivotal role in getting state legislation passed in 2005 that provides protection to permanently chained and tethered dogs
According to current Maine law, any dog in the state left chained 24 hours a day must be provided with an enclosed shelter and that chains or tethers restricting the dog must have swivels to prevent the chains or tethers from becoming tangled.
However, Maine Friends of Animals president Robert Fisk Jr. is slated to appear before the state’s Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Conservation in the near future to push for additions to the law.
In addition to mandating that a chained or tethered dog be let off its tethering for at least two hours a day, the group seeks to allow animal control officers to step in immediately and remove animals when observing a dangerous or abusive situation.
Fisk said that the MFOA is gathering statistics regarding permanently chained dogs that will be presented to the legislature committee.
No date has been set yet for a public hearing on the proposal.