Sarasota County Commissioners voted unanimously to make it illegal for county residents to tether dogs on their property and leave them unattended. They must be in visual contact of the animals at all times. A proposed amendment to allow a fifteen minute window for shoppers to leave their dogs chained in front of business establishments was deleted from the bill.
Among the supporters of this ordinance who presented convincing arguments for the passage were Diana Cao and Belen Beisco, from Dogs Deserve Better and Mother’s Against Dog Chaining. Caroline Liljenerantz and Reifal Baranski, volunteers from Satchel’s Last Resort stood in support of dogs. Many other counties in Florida have adopted this humane ordinance and Sarasota County Commissioners should be commended for this swift action.