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March
2007
Dear
Councilors, Mayor, City Administrator, Police Chief and City Attorney:
Would Ashland's tethering law help the environment? "Often,
when you chain a dog for long periods, he becomes a barking nuisance,"
says Merritt Clifton, an environmental journalist for almost 40
years, and editor of "Animal People."
"Chronic barking disturbs not only the people in the neighborhood,
but also the wildlife. Squirrels, for example, won't come down trees
to feed.
"A barking dog is an alarm sound to most wildlife. Historically,
that's why people chained dogs--to warn people when predators appeared,
or to keep wildlife out of people's gardens."
"When a dog is chained with nothing to do," Clifton continues,
"he overreacts to any small stimulation, such as the chirping
of a bird. But take that dog off his chain, and because he can wander
around and do other things, he's not so
hyperstimulated by what faraway wildlife may do. He's free to wander
around the yard, and he's more likely to get occupied with odors
he discovers in his wanderings."
If Ashland limits chaining, many people will probably put up fences
to keep dogs from straying. More fencing in Ashland means more wildlife,
according to Clifton. "Fences create habitat," he says.
"They're a perching place for birds.Squirrels,
chipmunks and other small animals can run along fences to stay safe
from predators. Mice and moles can take cover there, too."
He adds that fences
encourage plants like creeping vines to grow. "This creates
vertical habitat for animals like hummingbirds."
Fences increase biodiversity in yet another way. They're places
where two different landscapes come together. "Where a forest
and a river meet or where a lawn ends and a garden begins, you get
more biodiversity," Clifton says. "That's because creatures
inhabiting both the landscapes are coming together."
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