Hello supporters, On Monday, April 3, I met with Congressman Gerry Connolly's office in Annandale, VA. My goal was to garner support for the proposed legislation, and perhaps get an additional point of contact to push this cause in the right direction. Throughout the meeting, we discussed modeling a Virginia law after the legislation passed in Massachusetts last year, with additional stipulations culled from the laws in Illinois and Indianapolis, Indiana. These are the main points with which we are concerned: A person shall not leave a dog outside when a weather advisory, warning or watch is issued by a local, state or federal authority or when outside environmental conditions including, but not limited to, extreme heat, cold, wind, rain, snow or hail pose an adverse risk to the health or safety of the dog based on the dog's breed, age or physical condition, unless the tethering is for not more than 15 minutes. No person owning or keeping a dog shall chain or tether a dog outside from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., unless the tethering is for not more than 15 minutes and the dog is not left unattended by the owner, guardian or keeper. A tethering employed shall not allow the dog to leave the owner's, guardian's or keeper's property. The tether shall be designed for dogs and no logging chains or other lines or devices not designed for tethering dogs shall be used. No chain or tether shall weigh more than 1/8 of the dog's body weight. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit a person from walking a dog on a hand-held leash. No dog under the age of 6 months shall be tethered outside for any length of time. A person shall not confine an animal in a motor vehicle in a manner that could reasonably be expected to threaten the health of the animal due to exposure to extreme heat or cold. In addition to the general requirements for animal care and treatment in this article, every owner or keeper of a dog shall see that such dog when confined outside: 1. Has access to a shelter constructed of solid wood or other weather resistant material, consisting of a structure with solid walls on all sides, a dry floor raised above the ground, and a solid roof sloped away from the entrance to protect the dog from weather and extreme cold. During winter and any day when the temperature is at or below 40°F, the shelter must be just large enough for the dog to stand up and turn around, the entrance covered by a flexible wind-proofing material or self-closing door, and must contain clean, dry bedding, which must consist of an insulating material that does not retain moisture, such as straw, of sufficient depth for the dog to burrow. On any day when the temperature is at or above 80°F, the shelter must be shaded by trees, a tarp, or a tarp-like device. 2. Must be brought into a temperature controlled facility when the temperature is at or below 20°F or at or above 90°F, or when a heat advisory, wind chill warning, or tornado warning has been issued by local, state, or national authority, except when the dog in visual range of a competent adult who is outside with the dog. 3. Has adequate space for exercise when confined in an enclosure or pen, which shall consist of no less than one hundred (100) square feet. A dog over eighty (80) pounds must be provided with an additional fifty (50) square feet. For each additional dog inside the enclosure, fifty square feet of space for exercise must be added per dog. The Congressman's office agreed that this law is needed statewide, and provided additional contacts to approach. Next, I will be meeting with State Senators and Delegates. It is CRUCIAL that we continue to gather signatures on this petition, and we need a machine to draw more attention to it. We are nearing 8,000 signatures, and that is not insignificant. But to truly make noise, we need to hit harder. Please consider sharing this petition and tagging VIRGINIA news personalities, blogs, newspapers, magazines, animal groups, rescues, shelters, and organizations.