"If you can spare two hours of your life, you can spare this dog a life of misery." On Monday, May 22nd at 6 PM at the James Page Government Center in Yulee commissioners will decide the fate of hundreds of dogs chained in Nassau County. The commissioners have before them a tethering ordinance that will actually encourage tethering not discourage it. The ordinance allows dogs to be tethered unsupervised for 12 hours in a 24 hour period. It allows dogs to be tethered as long as they can be viewed through a window. It allows dogs to be tethered on farms. We need concerned citizens to come to the meeting and let commissioners know that we want a real unattended tethering ordinance the prohibits all unattended tethering without loopholes. Not everyone is comfortable speaking but you can still show your support by coming to the meeting and wearing an article of RED clothing. Please share this will all your friends. Please take moment to read the article below. Note that Fernandina Beach is on the verge of passing a no unattended tethering ordinance. Why can't we do the same for all of Nassau County! Thanks for speaking for those who don't have a voice. See you Monday night! FBCC about to rein in practice of animal tethering Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm Reporter – News Analyst May 17, 2017 At the urging of Fernandina Beach Commissioner John Miller and Fernandina Beach Animal Rescue the Fernandina Beach City Commission (FBCC) at the May 16, 2017 Regular Meeting considered an ordinance designed to prevent cruelty to dogs and cats. Ordinance 2017-17 prohibits outdoor tethering or restraint of dogs and cats, unless the animals are in the visual range of the owner and the owner is located outside with the tethered animals. The FBCC unanimously passed the ordinance on First Reading. It will return for Second Reading and public hearing in June. City Attorney Tammi Bach said that for at least the last five years dozens of cities and counties across the state have adopted such an ordinance. She walked the commissioners through all the proposed changes. (e) Unlawful restraint of dogs and cats. No person shall tether, fasten, chain, tie, or restrain a dog or cat, or cause a dog or cat to be tethered, fastened, chained, tied, (f) Notwithstanding subsection (e) above, a person may do the following: The dog or cat may be tethered if the dog/cat is in visual range and the owner is located outside with the tethered animal. Sherry Merritt, the city’s animal control officer, said that the current ordinance has been difficult to enforce because it states that an animal cannot be tethered for more than 10 hours a day. It would require an animal control officer to literally watch a property for 24-hours to determine how long the animal had been tethered. The elimination of that time limit would allow officers to respond quickly and take immediate action. Octavio Martinez, owner/operator of Hot Paws on 8th Street, also addressed the FBCC on the need for the revised ordinance. From his background in working with dogs for more than ten years during which time he has trained and groomed dogs, raised show dogs, and worked with the local shelters on extreme cases. He said that working with dogs that are victims of long term tethering is worse than dealing with dogs that come from so-called puppy mills. He said that trying to rehabilitate dogs that have been tethered for a long time is fraught with problems, ranging from health issues to psychological issues. He said that dogs that have been tethered too long become aggressive and often cannot be rehabilitated. “People need to understand,” Martinez said, “it goes way beyond [looking at a tethered dog] and saying, ‘Oh, poor dog.’ Those dogs may never be able to have a normal life.” Vice Mayor Len Kreger reminded commissioners and the public that this is a nuisance ordinance, and is complaint driven. Animal control officers won’t be routinely patrolling areas looking for violations. He said that during a recent Nassau County Board meeting the same issue was also considered. There the argument from some quarters was to eliminate all tethering to let the animals roam free. Kreger endorsed the city’s proposal as “a good interim step.” Editor’s Note: Suanne Z. Thamm is a native of Chautauqua County, NY, who moved to Fernandina Beach from Alexandria,VA, in 1994. As a long time city resident and city watcher, she provides interesting insight into the many issues that impact our city. We are grateful for Suanne’s many contributions to the Fernandina Observer.