05/19/2026
With hot weather upon us, we want to remind everyone about proper animal care requirements to help keep your pets safe and avoid an unwanted visit from the Sheriff’s Office or Animal Control.
Under Virginia Code 3.2-6500 regarding Adequate Shelter pet owners are required to provide:
🐾 A proper doghouse or shelter that protects animals from the adverse effects of heat
🐾 Protect each animal from injury, rain, or hail - NOT allowing any rain to get into the doghouse
🐾 Adequate shade at all times
🐾 Must be clean and properly lighted
🐾 Provide proper bedding
🐾 Provide enough space that will allow for the dog to be able to lie down, turn around, comfortably stand, and does not have a wire grid
🐾 Animals must be protected from predators
Under Virginia Code 3.2-6500 regarding Adequate Space pet owners are required to follow:
⚠️ A tether must be at least 4 times the dog’s body length or a minimum of 15 feet
⚠️ No tether or chain may weigh more than 10% of the dog’s body weight
⚠️ No animal may be tethered or chained during any weather advisory or weather event
⚠️ No animal may be tethered when temperatures reach 85 degrees or higher
As temperatures continue to rise, please make sure your pets have plenty of fresh water, shade, and safe shelter. Our animals depend on us to keep them happy, healthy and protected during extreme weather.
Thank you for helping keep our community’s pets safe!
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