H. B. 2337
(By Delegates Brown and Perdue)
[Introduced January 19, 2007; referred to the
Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources then the
Judiciary.]
A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by
adding thereto a new section, designated §19-20-26, relating
to providing requirements for the tethering of a dog; and
providing criminal penalties.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended
by adding thereto a new section, designated §19-20-26, to read as
follows:
ARTICLE 20. DOGS AND CATS.
§19-20-26.
Tethered dogs; requirements; penalties.
If a dog is tethered or similarly restrained, the tether shall
be attached so that the dog cannot become entangled with other
objects or come into physical contact with other dogs, and so the
dog can roam to the full range of the tether. The tether shall have a swivel hook and be of a type commonly used for the size dog
involved, made of material not normally susceptible to being
severed by the dog through chewing or otherwise, and shall be
attached to the dog by means of a well-fitted collar that will not
cause trauma or injury to the dog. The tether shall be six feet or
at least three times the length of the dog as measured from the tip
of its nose to the base of its tail and allow the dog convenient
access to the doghouse and to food and water containers.
Any person who violates this section is guilty of a
misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more
than one hundred dollars for the first offense. Any person who
violates this section for a second time is guilty of a misdemeanor
and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than one
hundred dollars nor more than two hundred fifty dollars. Any
person violating this section for a subsequent offense is guilty of
a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less
than two hundred fifty dollars nor more than five hundred dollars.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to
provide requirements for
the tethering of dogs and to provide criminal penalties for
violations.
This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.