Goldsboro Council makes dog tie-outs a 'no-no'
By Kenneth Fine
Published in News on March 2, 2010 1:46 PM
Goldsboro City Council members adopted two new ordinances Monday that will impact local dog owners, but police Chief Tim Bell said it would take some time -- and cooperation from the public -- to ensure the regulations are followed.
Tethering of animals -- defined in the ordinance as "tying out or fastening outdoors on a rope, chain or similar restraint to any stationary or inanimate object including a cable trolley system for holding an animal within a certain area outside the home or on an attended leash" -- will be banned within the city limits as of July 1.
"Especially the tethering one, you're talking about affecting a whole lot of people," Bell said during the council's pre-meeting work session. "You might want to have it come into effect July 1. That would give us some time to help educate the public."
The second ordinance, which regulates defecation by animals on streets, public right of ways and private property, holds dog owners responsible for cleaning up after their dogs defecate anywhere but in their own yard or they would face penalties. It would go into effect April 1.
Bell addressed this issue, too, reiterating that enforcement would only be possible with help from local citizens, like those who called council member Jackie Warrick and asked him to voice their concerns to his fellow board members.
"Just passing it and wanting it enforced, I mean, we only have one animal control officer," the chief said. "So really, we're going to need citizens to comply with both of these."
Warrick said Feb. 1 at a pre-meeting work session that he raised the "poop" issue.
"The first thing I want to say, I didn't have anything to do with the tethering. I wanted to do a poop ordinance," he said during the session. "Some people from my district approached me about a defecation ordinance, about (people) from other neighborhoods walking in their neighborhood and the dogs going to the bathrooms in the yards. ... The people who are calling me are upset."
After a few laughs, Warrick's peers agreed that a policy should be drafted to address that issue.
The tethering policy, however, was influenced by Bell, who explained during that same meeting it would create a safer environment for local residents and law enforcement officers alike.