Editor, Gazette-Journal:

As a veterinarian and advocate for homeless, neglected and abused animals, I would like to share information about the heartbreaking failure of proposed state legislation to relieve animal suffering.

Two identical bills were introduced, one in the Senate (SB 872) and one in the House (HB 646), which would have made it illegal to tether (tie or chain) dogs outside during weather extremes (below 32 degrees and above 85 degrees and during heat advisories or severe weather warnings). They also increased the minimum length of the tether and for the first time set a maximum weight of the tether.

Why were these restrictions needed? Dogs have suffered and died of heat stroke when their tethers became tangled and prevented them from seeking shade. Dogs have suffered and died, literally frozen to death, in extreme cold when their tether became tangled and prevented them from reaching adequate shelter.

Tethering a dog 24/7 is questionable under any circumstances&mdash...