Suffolk votes to ban tethering

SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - Suffolk City Council voted Wednesday to ban all dog tethering.

The ban is set to go in effect Sept. 1, 2013 and means people will not be allowed to leave their dogs chained outside for an extended period of time.

In Hampton Roads, Suffolk and Hampton are the only two cities that have this ban. Portsmouth, Virginia Beach and Smithfield have a partial ban, meaning that dogs can be tied outside but only for a few hours at a time.

"There are other ways to keep your animal outside," Suffolk mayor Linda Johnson said.

Suffolk resident Alice Conner's 2-year-old cousin was fatally mauled by chained dogs in Suffolk eight years ago. Conner sent a letter to city council on PETA's behalf.

"It is too late for Jonathan and those who loved him, but ever since the horrific attack that took him from us, I have felt an obligation to prevent similar tragedies in the future," Conner wrote. "Being trapped would drive anyone crazy. The dogs who killed Jonathan belonged to his own family - it didn't make any difference that they knew who he was. They had gone mad from confinement and neglect."