Not exactly the same...but I would say, below a certain age, kids should not be unsupervised. Note that the article begins, "When Rebecka Brown returned home June 5..."
This isn't like a situation where mom is in the kitchen or the house and the kids are outside. The lady was nowhere around. Second, when kids are playing they're generally not tied up. Being tethered in an unsecured yard places a dog in a particularly vulnerable position, whether it's to the taunts of (unsupervised) neighborhood kids, thugs or taser wielding cops.
She may have been at work or running errands. It depends on how accessible her yard is and a lot of other things we don’t know. We don’t know if she is in an area with no neighbors or kids. Thing is she is not the bad guy here, the cop that abused her dog is. Just a few weeks ago a cop killed a man’s dog inside his apartment. No one can directly supervise their dog 24/7 it is not possible. Cops have killed dogs with the owner standing right there so supervision is not the issue when it comes to dogs being harmed or killed by cops.
I agree if you live somewhere where others have access to your dog then it is not safe to tie one out- even stray dogs can come attack it. We don’t know her situation though we do know a cop abused her dog.