WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | Clarendon Co. considers pet laws; fees upset some

Clarendon Co. considers pet laws; fees upset some

By Jillian Capobianco - bio | email

CLARENDON COUNTY, SC (WIS) - Clarendon County could soon have pet laws for the first time in its history. If the ordinance passes, it would crack down on wandering dogs and help pay for animal control officers.

"It's massive, it's huge," said Thea Boucher, who has volunteered at the animal shelter in Clarendon County for about two years. She says there is major pet problem.

"Puppies and kittens just get thrown out the window," she continued.

The county is in the process of a drawing up a pet ordinance. Right now the ordinance would require owners to keep their pets in their yards. The pet would have to be identifiable by a microchip.
    
Owners would also have to register their animals every year. The suggested fee is a $25 registration fee for non-neutered or spayed pets, and a $15 fee for animals that are fixed. The money would pay for two animal control officers and a county pound.

Clarendon County Administrator Bill Houser says it's a matter of safety. Citizens call him nearly four times a week about wandering animals.

"We are starting to get urban areas and some of the parents out there are having difficulty of having their children being confronted by packs of dogs," said Houser.

But some pet owners don't want the change. Hunters in Clarendon County largely oppose the measure, because they can often own 20 dogs. If you own 20 dogs and all are neutered, that's a $300 a year fee

Houser says the fees make it so pet owners foot the bill, and not every taxpayer in the county. Boucher says the fee could help keep pets in homes and out of shelters

Clarendon County will have a public hearing on the pet ordinance Monday night. The council will then either vote on it or table it for another date. If it passes, people will have a year to register their pets. 
    
Count on WIS News 10 to let you know what the county decides.

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