It's one thing to put your dog outside to get some fresh air. It's another to let a dog spend its life at the end of a chain.

Knowing the difference is not only good for your pet's well-being but in Pennsylvania, it is now a matter of living by the law or breaking it.

The recently enacted Libre's law, described as the most comprehensive animal protection measure in state history, spells out for the first-time in Pennsylvania rules on tethering.

Specifically, this law requires:

A leash must be three times the length of the pet or 10 feet, whichever is longer.

No tow or logged chain or pinch, choke, or prong collars used with a tether.

A well-fitted collar and no open sores or wounds on the dog's body.

The lead must be on a swivel and ideally a lead that has a coated cover to avoid getting tangled.

The area where the pet is kept must be kept clear of excessive feces with access to drinkable water and shade.

No more than nine consecutive hours on a leash in a day's time.

No more than 30 minutes tied up when temperatures are lower than 32 degrees or higher than 90 degrees.

"This is not just about the well being of the animal, this is also about the community," said Kristen Tullo, Pennsylvania State Director of the U.S. Humane Society of America. "The most dangerous dog is an un-neutered male chained dog."

Tullo, along with lawmakers and others, gathered at the Helen O. Krause Animal Foundation in Franklin Township, York County, on Wednesday to review the new law's tethering rules and demonstrate the proper technique and equipment to be used in tethering.

Rep. Todd Stephens, R-Montgomery County, who championed the animal protection measure in the House, said until this law was passed, the law was silent about the proper way to tether a dog, leaving a gray area for humane society officers when it came to enforcing animal cruelty laws.

"We had folks all across Pennsylvania who were improperly tethering their dogs, some of them without even knowing they were doing so," Stephens said. "So this law will provide them with some guidance."

What spurred the tethering requirements were some animal cruelty cases that could make a responsible pet owner's stomach turn. One involves a dog named Baby Girl and another named Tanner.

Baby Girl was brought to the York County SPCA with her collar embedded an inch and a half down the whole way around her neck. It required 80 staples to close the wound, Tullo said.

As for Tanner, he was brought to the Animal Care Sanctuary in East Smithfield, Bradford County, emaciated, had no muscle mass and was barely able to walk after spending 10 years at the end of a chain. He was adopted and spent the last few months of his life in home where he received proper care, she said.

Dr. Mary Jane McNamee, a veterinarian representing the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association, urged pet owners to use common sense when it comes to this law and to look for signs of distress in their animal even when they are following it.

"The important thing is the health and safety of the dogs of the state of Pennsylvania and of our pets," she said.

Signs of heat-related distress to be on the lookout for are when you see more of the whites of a dog's eye than you are accustomed to seeing; seeing a dog panting or drooling; noticing a change in color of the dog's tongue or if it is swollen; or seeing it acting frantic at the end of a lead or laying flat out, McNamee said

When a dog demonstrates any of those signs in the summer, cool the dog off by sprinkling the dog with cool water and apply a cool compress to the neck and under the legs and take the dog to a veterinarian. In the winter, she advised against tethering dogs especially if it is a breed with no undercoat. She also urged pet owners to exercise caution with a dog's paw pads in extreme temperatures because damage to them can be permanent.

Some may see the state's tethering requirements to be an over-reach or simply common sense but Tullo said some pet owners need this guidance to know what is best for their animal who may enjoy spending hours outdoors.

Stephens also noted another reason why this animal protection law is important. Data suggests a link between those who commit animal cruelty acts also may be prone to abusing children or engaging in acts of domestic violence.

Any law enforcement or humane society officer can enforce this animal protection law. Violations range from summary offense, which essentially carries the same penalty as a traffic ticket, to a misdemeanor charge, which can carry a fine and maximum prison sentence of six to 12 months.

The law wouldn't prohibit tethering while engaged in hunting, performance events or field training, sporting events, complying with campground or recreational area rules, or when it is necessary for no more than an hour to complete a task.

"This is definitely not to punish people who are responsible pet owners. This is to look at the most egregious cases of chaining that we see and we see a lot of this. I would go so far as to say this is one of the biggest issues our shelters see," Tullo said.

"The reason this is so important and we had the support [for the law] from the Pennsylvania SPCA and Federated Humane Societies of Pennsylvania because these are the cases that there is nothing in place to say this is not okay that you leave your dog in this condition. Now there's basic guidelines in place. It's education. It's not designed to be punitive. This is designed to be preventative."