Massachusetts dog tethering law

Section 174E(a) sets the core limit. No person owning or keeping a dog may chain or tether it 'for longer than 5 hours in a 24-hour period and outside from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.,' unless the tethering is for no more than 15 minutes and the dog is not left unattended. The sentence is compressed. Read plainly, it sets two limits, a five-hour daily cap and no outdoor tethering overnight, each subject to the same short, attended exception; if your situation depends on the exact reading, ask animal control or a lawyer.

The same subsection governs the equipment. The tether must not let the dog leave the owner's or keeper's property, it must be designed for dogs, logging chains and other lines not made for tethering dogs are banned, and no chain or tether may weigh more than one eighth of the dog's body weight. No dog under 6 months old may be tethered outside for any length of time. The section says outright that walking a dog on a hand-held leash is not affected.

Subsection (c) requires clean water and 'appropriate dog shelter' for any dog confined outside. The shelter must keep the dog dry and protected from the elements, be fully enclosed on at least three sides, and have a roof and a solid floor. Its entrance must be flexible enough for the dog to come and go and sturdy enough to block the weather. Inside there must be clean bedding, and the space must be small enough to hold the dog's body heat yet large enough for it to stand, lie down and turn comfortably, with drainage that keeps water, ice and waste from pooling.

Subsection (d) is the weather rule. A dog may not be left outside when a local, state or federal authority has issued a weather advisory, warning or watch, or when heat, cold, wind, rain, snow or hail pose an adverse risk given the dog's breed, age or physical condition, unless the tethering is for no more than 15 minutes. On Cape Ann that makes the National Weather Service office in Boston part of an outdoor dog's routine: a winter storm watch ahead of a nor'easter, or a heat advisory in July, is the signal to bring the dog in.

A tie-out is a way of keeping a dog outside for longer than anyone can stand there with it. A daycare day answers the same need without the clock: the dog spends it in a playgroup of 7 to 10 dogs matched by size and temperament, on a fenced turf yard with pools and platforms, with indoor play floors for storm days. Daycare costs $42 for a full day and $33 for a half, and a dog who comes most weekdays may be better served by the $700 unlimited monthly membership.

For a dog who needs a midday break rather than a whole day, our at-home walks are solo and leashed: 20 minutes for $25, 30 for $35 or 60 for $55, with a photo and a note after every walk. Ask us whether we cover your address. The Pup Van runs in Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea at $10 each way, and every dog begins with a free evaluation on a weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30.