By Katherine Svenkeson

Residents petitioning for tethering changes

Mar 1, 2017 | 3:08 PM

One animal activist in the Battlefords is hoping to change the way some animals live year-round.

Lifelong Battleford resident, Melissa Kainberger, has started a petition online, asking town and council to consider a bylaw limiting the amount of time an animal can be kept tethered outside.

“I would love to get it banned all together but I doubt that would happen so I’m hoping to see a time limit because cities all over Canada are starting to introduce this as well,” Kainberger said. “I believe B.C. is the most recent place that has been enforcing time limits for chained dogs so it would be wonderful to see that here in Saskatchewan. As far as I know there are no places in Saskatchewan that do this.”

She said it is an issue she has noticed for a while in her own neighborhood, but an online post about another dog being constantly tethered opened up the conversation, pushing her into action.

“That’s when I really started to notice. It just bothered me because I drove by myself and I saw this dog and he was chained up constantly, day and night, and he’s never off his chain,” she said. “It resonated with me and I just felt like it’s time for people in Battleford to do something.”

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According to Kaley Pugh, executive director with Animal Protective Services of Saskatchewan, the legal requirements for keeping an animal outside or otherwise is fairly minimal.

“The animal protection act sets out fairly basic requirements that everyone has to follow,” Pugh said. “It says animals have to have adequate food water shelter and care. So they have to have appropriate shelter from the elements depending on the type of animal that it is.”

She said a lot of the requirements vary depending on the dog’s breed, and what might be OK for a Chihuahua would vary from what’s OK for a Husky.

“It doesn’t say anything about animals being tethered, so it is legal in this province [to have them] tied up 24 hours a day,” she said. “There are no legal requirements to letting dogs in the house, letting them off their rope, taking them for walks, anything like that. The legal requirements really just do cover the basic minimums of food, water, shelter, and care.”

Kainberger only expected a few signatures on her petition to start, but it quickly blew up, reaching over 1,300 signatures over a week.

“I was sitting at home and I just started crying because it was so heart warming to see how much people care. It’s been amazing,” she said. “It makes my heart really happy to know that people can come together and take this issue so seriously because I feel like a lot of people don’t take animal welfare seriously and I think it’s time it changes.”

For those without computers, she’s also working on passing out petitions at local businesses for people to sign at the counter. While a petition isn’t needed to go before council regarding the issue, the advocate said it’s a good way to show council how people in the town are feeling.

The post about the tehtered dog that ignited the petition has reached over 100 comments online. Kainberger said she hopes the owners of the dog don’t feel like the petition is a personal attack on them.

“I think they are feeling attacked right now because there are people taking pictures of their house and posting it online. I think it’s a good thing to make people aware but I don’t agree with the way people are attacking,” she said. “I’m just trying to bring awareness to the problem as a whole. It’s not just that dog on that street. There are so many dogs in town that are chained.”

Kainberger is hoping to present the petition to council at the end of March.

Katherine.svenekson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @ksvenkeson