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Resident praises Greenville County animal-welfare ordinance, urges outreach to breeders
Summary
At a Greenville County Council meeting public comment period, resident Barbara Wally praised a recently adopted county animal-welfare ordinance—citing identification requirements, temperature and crate limits and a ban on sales at flea markets—and urged the council to hold informational outreach for breeders who are concerned about the new rules.
Barbara Wally, a Greenville County resident, praised a recently adopted Greenville County animal-welfare ordinance and urged the council to offer outreach and information sessions for breeders concerned about compliance.
Wally spoke during the council’s public comment period and said the ordinance includes “identification requirements, the crate time frame restrictions, outdoor temperature guidelines, the dogs barking, the space provisions” and a requirement that breeders and rescues register with the county. “We did it for the dogs and the cats in our county, and the rescue community and the shelter tirelessly working day in and day out,” she said.
Wally told council members she was “incredibly proud” of their work and credited several council members by name for their roles in shaping the ordinance, including Councilman Kurt McGahee, Councilman Frank Farmer and Councilman Lou Seaman. She also said the Humane Society of the United States publicly commended Greenville County for its animal-welfare rules: “Our county was given a massive shout out,” she said.
Wally acknowledged that some breeders have expressed concern about the ordinance and offered to help arrange meetings between breeders and shelter staff so they can get information about how the rules will be enforced and what compliance will require. “This isn't about you. If you're a good breeder, we just want you on a registry for free, and that's basically it,” she said, adding that the ordinance is intended to “weed out the backyard breeders.”
She also suggested that legacy breeders who breed chiefly for breed preservation rather than for profit could consider organizing as nonprofits. Wally emphasized that her efforts to make animal welfare a county priority are ongoing and called for enforcement resources to follow from passage: “we can all work together to not just get laws passed, but make sure enforcement is there and resources are there,” she said.
The remarks occurred during public comment; the council did not take any formal action on the ordinance during this meeting. The meeting ended shortly afterward when a motion to adjourn was made and the council adjourned.
