Please help us improve the lives of dogs that spend 24 hours a day chained or penned in Clarksville-Montgomery County. 
On Sept. 14, 2009, the Animal Control Committee proposed to the County Commission that a chaining resolution be added to current regulations in order to restrict and provide specific guidelines on how an animal may be chained/tethered in our community. Sadly, the resolution failed by only a few votes. Please help us convince County Commissioners that a favorable vote towards improving the lives of chained and penned dogs is what this community wants and needs in order to make Clarksville a better place to live.
Please view the full letter to the County Commissioners for details on this petition. Thank you for your support!
We, the citizens of Montgomery County, strongly support the need for modification of current Animal Control Regulations to include clearly defined restrictions and guidelines for chained or penned dogs living 24/7 through such means of confinement. State & local regulations do not set specific standards of care for chained and penned dogs making it very difficult for law enforcement and animal control personnel to address inhumane treatment and public safety issues pertaining to chained and penned dogs.
We propose that County Commissioners take immediate action to approve revisions as presented by the Montgomery County Animal Control and Chaining Committees. The chaining committee was formed to thoroughly research this issue and provide the best recommendations for our community based on its findings. We respectfully request that the County Commission support the educated efforts of the Animal Control and Chaining Committees by passing the resolution being brought before it.
This resolution will include requests for more humane living conditions for chained and penned dogs and will be comparable to the following:
1. Minimize or disallow fixed point chaining/tethering 24 hours a day 7 days a week of dogs in Montgomery County.
2. Disallow dogs to be chained/tethered using a choke or pinch collar at any time.
3. Mandate that living space be of adequate size, which allows a reasonable exercise area free of entanglements, excrement or objectionable odors, and that the dog have access to shade at all times.
4. Mandate that general care be provided in a manner which prevents physical or mental distress including proper veterinary care and adequate time spent off chain/tether or outside of pen.
5. Mandate that only one dog be tethered to each cable system, and that all cable runs have a swivel on at least one end of the chain/tether to minimize entanglement.
6. Mandate that puppies under 6 months of age not be chained unattended at any time.
We the petitioners feel the aforementioned changes to the current Animal Control Regulations would greatly improve the lives of dogs in our community and make Clarksville a better place to live as a whole.
By signing this petition, we strongly support and urge all Montgomery County Commissioners to vote in favor of improving the lives of chained and penned dogs in Montgomery County as outlined above.
The Concerned Citizens of Montgomery County, Tennessee
