Clearly this is a good law. It is intended for the dogs WHO CAN"T SPEAK - and suffer. This individual is just obviously contentious.... and wants the law changed for her benefit. This is not in the best interest of all dogs who suffer. BTW, read the story closely and see they gave her 3 chances. I recommend they allow her to see the remains of dogs left out in the cold or heat and have died to put her whining in perspective.

Depends on how you define "time outside" !! Letting your dog out for 15 minutes to do his/her bidness doens't seem to qualify but who's going to be monitering how long your pet is out ??
Seems to me there's this forgotten thing called COMMON SENSE?????
If you leave your dog out ALL day while you are gone, then absolutely provide shelter AND water for the pet. C'Mon people, use your head !!!

The problem seems to be that the laws are far too non-specific, so it's too easy to interpret them in ways that penalize responsible pet owners. We've run into this with the Baltimore County law that says it is a violation to allow dogs to bark "excessively" but doesn't define excessive, leaving any amount of barking open to complaint. Common sense would be nice, but since that's clearly lacking, well written laws need to be in place.

I have to agree with Claire. Leaving a dog out to go to the bathroom for a few minutes is different than dogs who languish outside all day in all kinds of weather conditions. I think it is fairly standard that a dog be provided with basic shelter. At least according to all of the Animal Cops shows on AP it is. I doubt you have to buy a frou-frou dog house. But you do have to provide adequate shelter, which includes walls, a floor and enough space to stand and turn. I will say that if AA Co animal control has time to give citations to good dog owners who don't keep their dogs outside, Baltimore City needs the help. Common sense would be very helpful here!

Dogs absolutely need shade and access to water in the hot weather. I'm not sure that having a dog house is the whole answer, though--as folks here are saying, letting the dog out for a few minutes is different from keeping the dog outside all the time. I'd actually like to see more attention devoted to anti-tethering rules. Leaving a dog tied up outside for hours is cruel to the dog and likely to lead to misbehaviors that will annoy neighbors.

We as a society are judged by how we treat those who cannot speak for themselves. What you miss is not that she had a shelter but it didn't meet standards SHE HAD NO SHELTER AT ALL. and you support this!!!! this is a good and necessary law. it saves animal who would have no shelter at all including her highness who wants her dog tied out with NO SHELTER. I dont care that she is an environmentalist.. that makes her care about the earth clearly she does not care about her animal.. While you have ONE example I will be happy to have lots of pictures sent to you of dogs who have lived with no shelter. what it does to them.
This is a good law, it should be supported and any representative who votes against it should not be returned to office.

My dog has a house. It's the same one I live in.
the days become years, many chained and penned dogs sit, lay, eat, and defecate within the same 10-foot radius. Chained by the neck, they exist without respect, love, exercise, social interaction, and sometimes even basic nourishment. They live as prisoners, yet long to be pets.

Chaining is not only inhumane for dogs, but has taken a severe toll on this nation’s children as well. In the period from October 2003 through March 2008, there were at least 200 children killed or seriously injured by chained dogs across the country. Chained dogs, unsocialized with humans, can become very territorial of their tiny space, and any two year old who wanders into this space can be attacked and killed before adults can intervene.

A tethering limit is needed in this area.

Dawn, you make some very good points! You put the meat on the bones of my observations about tethering. The other thing is that dogs who are constrained (by leash or tether) have no way to practice the avoidance behaviors that dogs use. There's no "flight," so the only option is often "fight," leading to needless aggression and occasional injury to humans, other animals, or the tethered dog itself. (That's why dogs in dog parks are required to be off-leash. They can then freely communicate their "back off!" or "OK, I'm going" gestures without having matters escalate to violence.)

I was thinking a bit about dog houses. I believe that the properly built ones are really of more use in the winter months than in the hot summer. A dog in a small dog house with raised floor is protected from the wind and insulated from beneath. Even a smaller dog can then generate enough body heat to warm the confined space--though IMO, they still need to be inside. I think a dog house might actually become too hot in the hot summer. It seems to me that tree or bush shade, or some sort of ventilated shady area would be of much more benefit--and of course, water--always, water. Dogs I have known and loved have always picked some shady spot where there is bare ground and then dug down into the ground. It keeps them cool and comfortable.

Our dogs have always been "inside" dogs who enjoy going out to the yard. The resident Beagle likes to bask in the sun in the springtime. As it gets warmer, he will continue his excavation project, which involves a hole to China under a juniper bush. :)

This issue hits close to home. I live in southern Anne Arundel County. Several years ago a neighbor took in his granddaughter who had just had a baby and whose husband had just deployed to Iraq. She also brought a pit bull who was not allowed in the house. The dog was tied in back under a tree with water and a carrier for shelter but otherwise generally neglected. The neighbors offered to buy a run and dog house or even find a foster home for the dog but the owner would have none of it. We anguished over the dog’s neglect but felt the woman’s situation warranted deference to her wishes. One neighbor had complained to animal control about excessive barking but nothing was done about the dog’s situation. It was a very hot summer day the second time the dog broke loose and showed up at our door. No one was at the owner’s house so we tied him back up under the shady tree noting that there was a large pan of water for the dog. Two days later the police come to my door. The dog had died and the owner accused me of poisoning it with antifreeze. Never again will I choose a person’s wishes over the health of an animal. Animal Control can’t be everywhere. If you feel an animal is being neglected or abused report the owner to Animal Control.

personally, my dog is terrified of his dog house (dog loo actually) we'ver tried all kinds of things to get him to warm up to it, but he prefers the shade by the fence.

love your blog, by the way.

I agree that AC officers need to use a certain amount of common sense. A dog that is well fed, well watered, brushed, and clean is easily identifiable. As is a dog that is malnourished, dehydrated, matted, and dirty. Even a person who has never been around dogs could tell the difference.

From what the article said, this woman takes care of her dog. If the dog is happy in the back yard without a doghouse, and he is let in the "human" house when he wants to be, I have no problem with it.

My dog loves to sun himself on my deck. When he does I am either on the deck with him or in the kitchen adjacent to the deck watching through through the window or sliding glass door. He is back in the house at the first scratch at the door. Does this warrant having a dog house in my yard?? Even if he only steps foot on the grass for seconds a day (literally) to "do his business"??

Keep in mind, he is NEVER out of my sight. When I work he is in his crate in my bedroom and aside from that, he is within 20 feet of me at all times. His choice, I don't force it on him. We enjoy each other's company, that's why I have him.

I agree that it should be illegal to have a dog tied up-anywhere. I also think it should be illegal to leave a dog in a fenced yard if no one is home in the house. This protects the dog, the owner, and neighbors.

For anyone who leaves their dog tied up or in their yard when they are not home or not watching, think about this:

They could get out and bite someone or another animal and you could be sued or fined.

They could be stolen.

They could choke, either on the leash they are tied to or on any random object in your yard.

They could be poisoned. Either by a dog-hating neighbor or one of the many poisons in most people's backyards.

They could hang themselves on the fence by either their collar or leash.

If your dog is a specific breed (which continues to get negative press but will go unmentioned) they could be stolen and used for fighting. Or worse, they could be shot and killed by a someone who just doesn't like the breed.

I know of stories for each one of these scenarios where these things have happened and dogs have died.

If everyone had common sense we would not have the numerous problems that we have. I agree that dogs should not be tethered out all day or even most of the day. One dog chained to a fence here recently was stung to death by killer bees. The poor thing had no escape. Three dogs, in fact, were stung to death by killer bees within a couple of weeks but I am unsure if the other two were just outside in their yard temporarily or not, as some of their people were stung, too, but not killed because the people got inside the house and could not save the dogs, according to the report. Killer bees attack in swarms and you can't just swat or chase them away.

As to a dog house being too hot in the summer, I've wondered about that, too, but about a year ago, all on the same day, six dogs died due to being left out in the heat on one of our first really hot days. None had shade, including four puppies kept outside in a small enclosure without shade, water, etc. These were at at least two different locations, by the way, possibly three. It wasn't all one 'owner.' Direct sunlight is more deadly in extreme heat, killing so rapidly that dog houses might possibly have prevented so many deaths that day. Of course, sadly, they weren't the only dog deaths due to heat and an extreme lack of common sense.

Of course in the winter where it's cold and snowy, dogs belong indoors except for potty time and some playtime, IMO, and there should be dog houses just in case the people who think dogs don't get cold leave theirs outside.