Noted

Almost forgot to mention this, which i just learned about yesterday:

After two years of discussion and debate, county commissioners passed a ban on dog chaining Monday.

The new ordinance goes into effect for both city and county residents in 2010.

Durham now becomes the second Triangle jurisdiction in which dogs cannot be tied up or chained outdoors. They instead must be brought indoors or placed inside an enclosure, such as a fence or large pen.

Lewis Cheek continued his successful campaign to make a fool of himself on his way out the door by voting against the ordinance. After his one-man campaign last year to pass the unenforceable and competely irrelevant "no panhandling" law, his comments that poor people whose pets are their only companions will have to give them up because they will no longer be able to leave them tied up outside all day is nonsensical. Dogs that are tied up 50 feet from the door all the time aren't anyone's companions. Bring 'em inside the house if you want a companion.

Kudos to the Coalition to Unchain Dogs for sticking this out for the past two years.