Virginia Senate to vote on tethering animals bill

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – An animal care group is making a final push to support a bill that would make it illegal to tether dogs outside in extreme temperatures, WVIR reports.

Senate Bill 872 would impose a fine on owners who tether their dogs outside when the temperature drops below 32 degrees or rises above 85 degrees.

Volunteers from the Houses of Wood and Straw Project have been fighting for this legislation for months.

The volunteers say that the bill would give animal control officers more authority and save hundreds of dogs.

"If anybody has time to go to Richmond or has any time to call those subcommittee members, please do so because they obviously don't have a voice and we really have to voice our opinion so that we can show them that this matters to Virginians and Virginians two and four pawed are for this bill," said Hannah Hein, a project volunteer at HOWS.

A House subcommittee killed a similar bill. That same committee will vote on the Senate version on Monday.