My thanks to Diamond Pits for allowing me to reprint these items from their site.
Anti-tethering ordinances forbid dog owners from chaining their animals unattended for hours at a time.
Just remember, as soon as anti-tethering legislation is well established, it is time to start the anti-kennel legislation (I have seen references to "cage rage" by ARistas already), then comes anti-crate. Then it is time to pitch a fit about leaving your dog alone in the yard, and then leaving it alone all day in the house. Equating confinement with cruelty is the strategy of the ARistas. Any argument that you make against tethering, can be made against any other form of confinement.
You all have seen dogs exhibiting barrier frustration running up and down a fence barking aggressively. This "makes" a dog as aggressive as tethering so it will need to be legislated against as well. The cycle will not end until no one can keep dogs--mission accomplished.
The truth is, a dog is not made aggressive by a type of confinement. It is a temperament issue.
Guard/territorial dogs are more likely to exhibit aggression when confined since they have been selectively bred to be protective of their territory. Foxhounds, huskies, beagles hardly ever will show aggression as they are social dogs who were raised in groups and aggression was highly undesirable and selected against.
Training and socialization will curb aggression in your guard breeds (they learn what is acceptable and needn't be guarded against). Under-socialized territorial breeds will be aggressive; under-socialized social dogs will usually be timid and submissive when approached.
A dog with a territorial temperament will display aggression no matter where it is confined (house, car, crate, yard or tethered). A social temperament will respond in a friendly manner no matter where it is contained.
A dog on a 15 ft. tether has 706.5 square feet to move around in*. Even the U.S. government uses this form of containment for their sled dog teams in Denali.
Tethering is NOT an issue. It is a way of safely confining a dog.
Neglect is an issue, lack of training/socialization is an issue, lack of shelter and water is an issue; but containing a dog on a tether is NOT.
It is a perfectly acceptable, humane, and dog-friendly way of containment.
ANY ARGUMENT MADE AGAINST TETHERING CAN BE MADE AGAINST ANY OTHER FORM OF CONTAINMENT......AND WILL BE EVENTUALLY. Remember their goal.....total animal liberation from human use.
It is curious that man has been tethering dogs for thousands of years, and man and dog have flourished just wonderfully together, and now all of a sudden it is cruel. Neglect is cruel. Tethering is not.