The holiday season can be a time of great joy for many of us, but for hundreds of companion animals each year, the winter months bring unnecessary suffering and, in the most horrific cases, potentially even death. Pet tethering is still perfectly legal in most U.S. states, putting our furry companions at heightened risk of getting sick or dying as they are left outside unattended in freezing weather.
Sign now if you agree: all states must enact tethering laws to prevent innocent animals from dying outdoors!
We know that tethering dogs at all can be harmful to them for a variety of reasons. Tethering can cause both emotional and physical distress on animals that do not know when they will be untethered, if at all. Pets that are tied up are left prone to strangulation, vulnerable to attacks from other animals or humans, and leaves them anxious, unable to move freely, and thus more likely to show signs of aggression. And these harms are amplified in winter months, and there is no excuse for state legislatures that allow this practice to continue.
While we typically associate climate change with a warming planet, it can also make winters even more unpredictable. Blizzards are expected to intensify in the coming years, and in the past decade, we have seen snowfall records broken across the country from severe storms. All of these conditions make an already dangerous season even worse for innocent companion animals. Pets already helplessly die outdoors every winter, and we must put a stop to this practice before the snowy season becomes even more dangerous.
Winter is approaching, and unprotected animals need our help. Tell the 27 remaining state legislatures who do not have laws against tethering that the time is now to end unnecessary pet deaths during our coldest months.
