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Residents urge Haywood County to overhaul animal services after neglect cases, call for independent audit
Summary
At a March 16 Haywood County Board of Commissioners meeting, more than a dozen residents and rescue volunteers described repeated animal neglect and deaths, alleged record-keeping failures at Haywood County Animal Services, and asked the board to commission an independent audit and strengthen the county animal ordinance.
At the Haywood County Board of Commissioners meeting on March 16, residents presented repeated, detailed accounts of animal neglect and urged the board to order an independent review of county animal-services practices.
Holly Greenwell recounted the case of a small dog named Zoe, saying animal-control calls were made repeatedly between 2019 and 2025 about conditions at a Canton address and that Zoe “had been abused badly” before a neighbor purchased the dog for $500 in November 2025; the dog was euthanized in December 2025. “This is not protection. That is failure in the system,” Greenwell said while asking commissioners to adopt clearer, enforceable standards so animal control can…
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