The founder of an animal advocate group says a tether law that passed in Ossining earlier this week is not enough to provide safety for dogs.

"It's not really a tether law,” says Deborah Pangle, founder of the Cat Squad Rescue. “It does not protect the dogs, and it does not provide safety for them."

Pangle pushed for the tether law after finding a dog tied up for nearly 24 hours per day in dangerous weather. But she says the law allows owners to keep their pets tethered unattended for up to 12 hours per day, which can leave pets vulnerable to wild animals nearby, according to the Cat Squad Rescue.

The rescue team tells News 12 Westchester that the national standard for leaving pets outdoors is up to two hours in a 12-hour period.

"They are not following the standards that have been recommended to them by a lot of lawyers and advocates who have done research on this and understand this,” says Pangle.

The law does prohibit a dog from being tethered if it's less than 6 months old, sick, injured or nursing. An owner must also provide a shelter suitable for its breed and cannot tie up or chain an animal when a warning is issued by the National Weather Service. But opponents say there needs to be clearly defined temperatures, saying that just because there is no warning in place doesn't mean that it's not too hot or cold.

Meanwhile, Mayor Victoria Gearity tells News 12 that "the legislation recognizes that outdoor conditions appropriate for one breed may not be appropriate for another. It also prohibits any acts that endanger a dog's health, safety, or wellbeing."

Genee Roberts, of the Cat Squad Rescue, calls the passing of the legislation something that just happened “for the sake of passing it so we can say we can.” She says the lawmakers did not interact with the rescue team to any degree other than simply listening to their statements at meetings.

The Cat Squad Rescue tells News 12 they have appeared at several council meetings to discuss the law, but feel they were ignored in some respects. They say they will always be open to tweaking this law with lawmakers as a team.