I am responding to two letters in the June 17 Xpress about "tethering" dogs. Cynthia Etheridge "couldn't be more disgusted with Council members," and Troy Amastar complains about labeling "animal-rights activists as extremists.”
For the record, I live in Asheville, voted for Obama, drive a hybrid, shop at the Co-op and don't eat meat. I also put my dog on a 12-foot leash — attached to a 60-foot runner in my large backyard — for one to three hours every day to get fresh air, in addition to daily walks in the neighborhood. I never leave the property with him tied up, and if he barks, he's telling me he wants to come in. Yet the proposed ban put before City Council, and ardently supported by Etheridge and Amastar, would turn me into a criminal for "tethering" my dog, as they want a complete ban with no exceptions.
Me, I couldn't "be more disgusted" with shortsighted people who react to the world only in black and white. Sure there's a problem with neglected dogs. But don't call me cruel and torturous or criminalize me for giving my dog the pleasure of sniffing the air in the shade under a tree. Ms. Etheridge, the solution is not simple as you assert. Design and propose a law that isn't stupidly reactionary — and then City Council, and I, will support it.
— Robert Collins
Asheville
Letter writer: You are absolutely wrong in your misguided understanding of what Chain-Free Asheville is proposing. No one is trying to make it illegal to walk your dog or to provide supervised time in your yard. Get real!
It’s high time we adopt a ban on tethering as proposed to Council by Chain-Free Asheville. Stop spreading mis-information which only serves to further the abuse and torture of innocent animals.
I invite anyone interested in this debate to come visit my house on Moore Ave. and see what a tethered dog looks like. These two dogs are considered ‘huntin dogs’ so they don’t enjoy the same hospitality as the other three whom get to go inside. Sidebar; this is a .09 acre lot. These dogs get to be on a chain all day and all night, 365 days a year, be it 14 degrees or 99. Now, I love dogs but I am forced to suffer these creatures (bless their hearts) everyday and all night. I have lived with responsible ‘huntin dog’ owners and I know the difference between service animals and tethering. Please put an end to this practice at least in city limits. Also finish Pack Square already. These things make for Assville and we can’t afford it any longer.