A second and enacting vote is likely to be held Monday, September 23, 2024, on a proposed Fairfield County ordinance that seeks to establish problematic requirements and numerous new fees for dog and cat owners, exhibitors, breeders, and sportsmen.
What you can do: Concerned dog owners are urged to immediately contact county council members to express concerns and ask them to “vote NO on proposed animal ordinance 838.” Please scroll down for contact information.
Concerns with the proposed ordinance include, but are not limited to:
- Owners of “show” and “hunting” dogs would be required to register their dogs with the county, pay an annual $50 fee per dog, and be subject to additional requirements.
- It would be an offense to allow dogs that are not microchipped and spayed/neutered to be sheltered outside. This would criminalize allowing a dog that is not microchipped and sterilized to be outdoors in an enclosure, fence, or pen for purposes of exercise, play time, or potty breaks. This provision is not in the best interest of proper dog care. Exemptions, if any, to this onerous and overreaching requirement are unclear.
- The owner of a single dog or cat used once at stud for a fee, and the owner of a single dog who breeds and sells a single puppy or kitten would be classified as a “commercial breeding kennel/cattery” and subject to numerous overreaching, vague, and contradictory requirements, including obtaining a certificate of inspection and agreeing to unlimited additional inspections at any time of private homes and facilities where animals are kept. This new provision is in conflict with sections of existing law.
- The proposed ordinance would empower Fairfield County Animal Control AND/OR the anti-breeder non-governmental Humane Society of the United States to promulgate standards and procedures for a “commercial breeding kennel/cattery” without legislative oversight or a judicial appeal process.
- Only the offspring of purebred dogs and cats registered with certain US purebred registries could be sold by breeders/kennels.
- Vague provisions in the proposed ordinance for “fanciers” who compete with their dogs and “fancier kennels” appear to create certain exemptions from designation as a commercial breeding kennel; however, vague definitions and contradictory sections of law could negate these exemptions.
- Both current law and sections of the proposed ordinance problematically empower the animal control director, or his or her agent, to conduct investigations and to determine, at his or her sole discretion or pursuant to his or her “opinion,” if certain registrations and certificates of inspection are issued or revoked. This opinion would encompass undefined facility construction requirements, sanitation requirements, “the character of the person making application,” and animal care requirements.
- Under current and proposed law, any violation would be a misdemeanor with fines of up to $500 per offense per day. Additional penalties include forfeiture of the animal and payment of expenses related to the care of the animal. Impounded animals redeemed by their owners are subject to mandatory spay/neuter under current law and the proposed ordinance with vague and contradictory exemptions.
Take action TODAY. AKC Government Relations learned about this proposed ordinance yesterday. Immediate action by Fairfield County residents is imperative! Call, email, and leave polite messages of opposition with county council members prior to their meeting on Monday, September 23, 2024, at 6:00pm.
County Council Contact Information:
Douglas Pauley, Chairman, District 5, 803-801-3407, douglas.pauley@fairfield.sc.gov
Clarence Gilbert, Vice Chair, District 7, 803-801-3764, clarence.gilbert@fairfield.sc.gov
Dan Ruff, District 1, 803-801-3874, dan.ruff@fairfield.sc.gov
Shirley M. Greene, District 2, 803-801-3878, shirley.greene@fairfield.sc.gov
Peggy Swearingen, District 3, 803-801-3879, peggy.swearingen@fairfield.sc.gov
Timothy Roseborough, District 4, 803-801-3881, timothy.roseborough@fairfield.sc.gov
Cornelius Robinson, District 6, 803-801-3882, cornelius.robinson@fairfield.sc.gov
You may also wish to copy your message to Dr. Kimberly Roberts, Clerk to Council, 803-815-4003, kimberly.roberts@fairfield.sc.gov.
Click here for information on attending the meeting on September 23, 2024.
Click here, then download ID 838, to view the ordinance.
For questions or additional information, please contact AKC Government Relations at 919-816-3645 or email doglaw@akc.org.