Kansas City needs more specific rules to protect dogs left chained up outside | Opinion

Shortly after moving to Kansas City, I noticed a house in my neighborhood had pit bull confined outside to a small cage — barely large enough for the dog to stand or turn around. I noticed because he had been crying and barking night and day.

On the third day of witnessing this animal clearly in distress, I confronted the owner, who told me the dog had been urinating in the house because his female pit bull was “on her period.” When I asked how long the male dog’s banishment would continue, the owner assured me it was temporary. A day or two later, the animal was back inside.

Last March, it started up again when the dog was left in a roofless pen without access to food or water for several days. This time, I took pictures and attached them to an online report to the KC Pet Project’s Animal Services Division. I did not hear back, but I saw that the dog was inside a day or two later. On July 2, the people living in the house put their dog out on a cord. That night, I observed him whining and huddled against the back door in a severe thunderstorm. Both of the owners’ cars sat in the driveway. After standing under an umbrella to take video of the incident, I sent them in with another report by email, including the house’s address, and I later received a case number. The next night, I recorded the same scenario with the dog left outside during a loud home fireworks display (which is illegal in the city). Upon following up, an animal control dispatcher informed me that a letter had been sent to the home.

On July 7, I shot more video of the dog desperate to get in during yet another thunderstorm. On my next call to KC Pet Project, I asked for a welfare check. After following up, I was told the case was closed, but I could speak with the animal control officer. It turned out, the home’s backyard had not been checked, and the officer had not seen the videos I submitted. She agreed to locate my videos and do another check. I also informed her of my suspicion the dog was not neutered.

As of today, I know the owners have been told to neuter their pit bull (mandated by law in Kansas City). I know because they banged on my door the next day to scream at my husband and me about it.

Otherwise, the dog is no better off. As I write this, he sits in his yard tethered to a porch rail day and night without respite. I believe his latest banishment outdoors is perpetual, since he has now been provided with a dog house.

The portion of Kansas City’s ordinances addressing chaining animals outside reads:

“No owner, keeper or harborer of an animal shall fail to provide the animal with adequate care, adequate food, adequate water, adequate health care and adequate shelter. Such shelter shall be clean, dry, shaded and compatible with the condition, age and species. An animal must also have the opportunity for adequate daily exercise as determined by the supervisor of animal health and public safety. This requires that an owner, keeper or harborer must offer some freedom from continuous chaining, stabling and tethering. Any restraint placed on an animal must be such that it prevents the animal from being tangled or injured by the restraint.”

These guidelines, while surely well-intentioned, are too subjective and open to interpretation. They don’t give animal welfare authorities specific enough guidelines to protect vulnerable animals.

I realize the difficulty in rescuing pets from abuse and neglect because of overcrowding in shelters. Likewise, it can be difficult to enforce the law. Nevertheless, some animal control departments around the country have dealt more successfully with both. New England regularly takes in pets from overcrowded shelters in the Midwest and South, and multiple municipalities there have specific laws allowing homeowners to take in a reasonable number of animals without requiring a kennel license. Massachusetts has a statewide law with clear tethering limits for dogs — generally no more than five hours at a time, and never all night long.

Clearly stated limits and bans on how owners treat the animals in their care are easier to enforce than vague ones like Kansas City’s. The dogs (and cats) that depend entirely on humans for their health and well-being deserve more than being tethered to a rope in the elements.

Lisa Leming is an animal advocate and resident of Kansas City.