After more than a year of dogged lobbying and a contentious public hearing, animal lovers and activists in Greenville County can rejoice. 

The Greenville City Council unanimously approved amendments to its animal control ordinance that will add more concrete regulations on caring for cats and dogs amid a growing pet overpopulation problem. 

Greenville County Animal Care take, the animal shelter owned and operated by Greenville County, carries the bulk of the heavy lifting when it comes to taking in pets, as the largest open-admission facility in the state and one of the largest in the region. 

Between 2021 and 2023 — the most recent years with data available — the shelter has taken in more than 5,000 dogs per year, but the percentage of dogs they’ve had to euthanize has increased from 5% to 15% in that time. 

According to Greenville County Animal Care director Shelly Simmons, the problem largely stems from a lack of space for the animals, particularly for larger dogs. The increase for the need to euthanize the pets has led the facility to lose its “no-kill shelter” designation, since the title is reserved for facilities that can save 90% of animals. 

At the meeting, Carolina Loving Hound Rescue founder and director Angela Gschwind said her organization, which helps rehome dogs that end up in Greenville shelters, is fighting against the overpopulation caused by irresponsible breeders who abandon their pets when they’re not able to be sold. 

Gschwind claims curbing reckless breeding would save Carolina Loving Hound Rescue, which operates in Georgia and the Carolina, more than $200,000 per year in services. She characterized the ordinance amendments as common sense and basic care.

“If you care for the dogs you’re breeding, the ordinance will not affect you,” Gschwind told the council. 

NEW REQUIREMENTS

The changes will now require pet breeders to obtain a license, pass inspections, and maintain records for each animal. It would also pass the cost of caring for an animal removed by animal control or law enforcement due to neglect or abuse onto the perpetrating party. 

It also add minimum space requirements for dogs based on their weight, as well as rules for their crates and confinement. Previously, the county’s animal control ordinance only required owners to have “adequate space.”

Now dogs under 25 pounds must have at least 24 square feet of space per dog, dogs between 25 and 50 pounds will require at least 64 square feet of space per dog, and dogs over 50 pounds will need at least 100 square feet of space per dog. 

Additionally, the ordinance will prohibit keeping dogs in crates for long-term housing, limiting the time a dog can be crated to no more than 12 hours in a 24 hour period, unless recommended by  a licensed veterinarian for medical reasons.

The amendment also prohibits the sale of pets in an outdoor market, updates requirements for rabies vaccination and tags for dogs, and clarifies how nuisance barking will be addressed. 

OPPOSITION

The changes were opposed by the American Kennel Club, with members of its Greenville chapter claiming it would add unnecessary expenses for “hobby breeders.”

“AKC is concerned that the proposal may be understood to require every hobby breeder in the county to register as a business. However, hobby breeders are not businesses,” the American Kennel Club wrote on its website, advocating Greenville breeders to oppose the legislation.

“AKC is concerned that these prescriptive “engineering” standards are not grounded in sound animal husbandry requirements or practical results. For instance, requiring the same 100 square feet of space for a Bulldog and a Great Dane, the size of a small bedroom, would be effectively different for each, with much more available space for the Bulldog than for the Great Dane.  Additionally, requiring an additional 12 inches of headspace above a Chihuahua, which typically is 5-8 inches in height at its shoulder, may actually present a safety risk for such a little breed.”