Bill would limit dog chaining

CARSON CITY -- Despite concern it will fan feuds between neighbors, Assembly members voted 32-8 Saturday for a bill to limit how long one can chain a dog.

Under Senate Bill 132, an owner cannot tie his dog to a chain shorter than 12 feet, or keep the animal chained longer than 14 hours a day.

The bill now goes to Gov. Jim Gibbons for his approval or veto.

"This is going to pit neighbor against neighbor," said Assemblyman Pete Goicoechea, R-Eureka. He predicted someone with a vendetta against a neighbor will use the proposal to call animal control officers even without sufficient proof the law was broken.

But Assemblyman James Ohrenschall, D-Las Vegas, said many laws are difficult to enforce, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be approved.

"Animal control officers said they need this bill," he added. "Some people are tying their dogs 24 hours a day, seven days a week."