If you're driving down the street and see a dog chained to a fence, how do you know how long it has been outside?
There's a big difference between being put outside for a five-minute bathroom break and spending the whole day in the cold. That's the issue at the heart of a push to get Jackson County to adopt an anti-tethering ordinance.
Jackson County's animal control and protection ordinance doesn't mention tethering. The people going to Tuesday nights board of commissioners meeting say it needs to be added to saves the lives of pets during extreme cold or heat.
"The laws haven't been changed in a long long time for domesticated animals, and I think it will be a big change for our pets these days now," said April Lewis, Jackson County animal advocate.
April Lewis wants a law on the books that limiting how long dogs can be left outside on a chain or other kinds of tether. But that raises a question -- how do you know how long the dog has been outside unless you're standing there the entire time?
Ingham County has a tethering ordinance and a policy for determining the amount of time the animal has been out there.
"If we are on scene for fifteen minutes and the call came in fifteen minutes prior to us arriving we can say the dog has been outside for probably been outside for at least a half hour if not more," said Sarah Schertel, Ingham County Animal Control officer.
That's not the only way. There's also evidence the untrained eye might not know to look for. "This time of year we always look for footsteps to the dogs too. If we go out there and there is not footprints to the dogs that's a pretty good inclination that no one has been tending to that animal," said Schertel.
Lewis and other supporters also want the county to tighten up its current animal-protection ordinance so there's less room for interpretation. "Our laws are very vague. It doesn't state that the house needs to be insulated for proper weather conditions," said Lewis.
Lewis tells FOX 47 people in Jackson County are very passionate about this issue and she expects a big turnout at the meeting.
"I expect a big turnout. We have been promoting this for a long time. I have been telling a lot of people about it and I hope everybody shows up," said Lewis.
The meeting is tonight at 7 pm at Jackson City Hall. The proposed ordinance is not on the agenda but supporters plan to bring it up during public comment.
