Emmylou Harris blasts pet tethering

NASHVILLE, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Country singer Emmylou Harris told Nashville city officials that tethering pets to stationary objects was equivalent to "cruelty."

Harris -- who has adopted five dogs and five cats from local animal shelters -- told members of the City Council's Health, Hospitals and Social Services Committee Tuesday she was there because animals are "voiceless," the Nashville Tennessean reported.

"Animals can't speak for themselves ... That's why so many of us are here today to speak for them," Harris said.

A proposed ordinance would set limits on how long an animal could be tethered to a stationary object. The committee tabled the proposal for a month after it was suggested it needed more work, the newspaper said.