In a packed public hearing Wednesday, Valencia County commissioners approved amendments to its animal control code banning the chaining of animals and increasing outdoor shelter requirements.
The majority of comments over the two-hour hearing were in support of the amendments put forward by
Alan Edmonds with the nonprofit said the current law was established in 1997, when chaining dogs was the norm in the state.
鈥淪ince then, the animal welfare and public safety dangers of this inhumane practice have led a growing number of New Mexico鈥檚 municipalities and counties to prohibit tethering,鈥� he told the board of commissioners, citing the cities of Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Cruces and the counties of all three.
outlaws tying an animal up except in circumstances like a park gathering or emergency. It also requires outdoor pet owners to provide an appropriately-sized, leak-proof, insulated structure with a roof and floor, including bedding when sufficiently cold out, and to microchip their animals.
Resident Gail Goodman said during public comment that the revised ordinance infringes on her rights, adding that chains work.
鈥淢y dogs are my property. I鈥檓 not a pet parent. I do not have fur babies,鈥� she said.
ordered by the state legislature notes that dogs that are regularly chained up can become 鈥渓onely, bored, anxious, and aggressive,鈥� and that the practice can harm the animals鈥� health and safety.
Most opponents during public comment did not focus on the new amendments, but instead cited that was already approved by the board last month.
Animal Control Director Jess Weston told the board that the higher fees will enable the department to conduct outreach and enforce the new policy along with the Valencia County Sheriff's Office.
Enforcement is expected to begin at the end of the year. A group of animal rights organizations, and , along with individual donors, have established a $7,000 fund to support residents with low incomes comply with the new rules.
told the board she plans to introduce a similar statewide measure in the 2023 legislative session.
