Starting October 1, it will be illegal to leave dogs unsupervised and chained or tethered in lawns. The City Council passed the ordinance in June; pamphlets telling people of the new ordinance were sent along with utility bills in August.

Animal control won't be heading out randomly to houses, but will be working on a complaint-driven basis. Once a complaint is made to them by a neighbor or someone else, a warning notice will be given to the residents who are chaining up their dogs. If a dog owner still doesn't comply after notice is given, they could be fined as much as $500. The idea is that this new ordinance will keep dogs with their owners, but under more humane circumstances.

A fund has been set up by Animal Trustees of Austin, Inc. and the Austin Community Foundation to help low-income residents pay for adequate fencing for their dogs. If you'd like to help out, you can make a donation to the Dog Fence Fund on the Austin Community Foundation site.