The Spartanburg County (SC) Council will again consider extensive proposed amendments to the county’s Animals ordinance at its meeting on Monday, May 19, 2025. The proposal would create new licenses for dog breeders, require inspections of their facilities, establish care and conditions standards for all dogs, and impose ownership limits. The American Kennel Club (AKC) is deeply concerned with elements of the ordinance, and urges all dog breeders and owners in Spartanburg County to contact the members of the County Council to share their opposition to the proposed breeders’ ordinance and request it not be adopted as currently written.
DETAILS ON PROPOSED CHANGES RELATING TO BREEDER REGULATION
- Creates a new definition of breeder for the purposes of regulation: A person who keeps, maintains or harbors any intact dog or cat ‘for the purposes of breeding and selling the puppies or kittens’.
- Expands the definition of owner to include, “any person who has an animal in his care or any person who acts as its custodian.”
- Limits any person or entity from owning, keeping, or harboring more than 20 dogs that are four months of age or older, regardless of property size (but would not apply to certain pet rescues).
- Requires everyone engaged in dog breeding as a business, occupation, or profession to obtain an annual county dog breeder license from animal control; and defines “engaged in breeding as a business, occupation, or profession” as having at least one unaltered female dog on premises and producing at least one litter of puppies to sell within a 12-month period.
- Before being licensed and before having a license renewed, a breeder’s property must be inspected by an animal control officer. Violations discovered during an inspection would be grounds for suspension of the dog breeder license if deemed necessary by Animal Control, unless the inspecting animal control officer provides the licensee with 30 days to remedy the violation(s). Inspection costs would be determined in separate County Council action.
- If licenses are suspended, all breeding on premises shall cease until a new license is issued.
The proposal also includes other extensive changes regarding the care of dogs, nuisance and noise violations, and dangerous dogs, among other provisions. Click here to review the entire ordinance.
AKC CONCERNS AND TALKING POINTS
AKC shares in the goals of ensuring all dog owners act responsibly and in lowering public shelter and private rescue intakes.
However, AKC is deeply concerned with several breeder-related provisions of the proposed ordinance:
- Requiring every person who has one intact female and has produced a litter to sell in the prior 12-month period to become licensed as a dog breeder is overbroad, onerous, difficult to enforce, and rife with unintended consequences.
It fails to consider why someone may decide to keep a dog intact that are not related to breeding, including an increasing number of scientific findings that indicate that spaying a female, particularly at younger ages, may not be in the best interest of her health. It also fails to explicitly recognize that purebred dog breeders may produce a litter with the intent to exhibit the puppies in competitive events (not to sell), but may incidentally sell puppies that they determine to be inappropriate to compete. - This language will require hobbyists to secure business licenses for their premises, which could lead to zoning noncompliance.
- Many dog owners and hobbyists keep their dogs in their private homes. The proposed ordinance would require the inspection of those homes, raising significant invasion of privacy concerns.
- Breeder oversight programs should be appropriately tailored so that professionals meeting certain criteria, not hobbyists, are regulated.
- AKC opposes ownership or litter limits. Owners who meet their responsibilities, both to their dogs and their neighbors, should not be arbitrarily limited.
- The proposal should clarify when someone should and should not be considered as “engaged in breeding as a business, occupation, or profession” of dog breeding.
SPARTANBURG COUNTY DOG OWNERS, TAKE THESE ACTIONS!
Because some elements of the proposal will impact all dog owners in the county, it is imperative that all Spartanburg County dog owners email or call the members of the Spartanburg County Council prior to its meeting on Monday, May 19 to respectfully share your concerns and request the ordinance not be approved as currently written:
Council Chairman A. Manning Lynch – (864) 596-2528, mlynch@spartanburgcounty.org
Councilmember Monier “Mo” Abusaft, District 1 – (706) 346-4465, mabusaft@spartanburgcounty.org
Councilmember Jack A. Mabry, District 2 – (864) 596-2528, jmabry@spartanburgcounty.org
Councilmember David Britt, District 3 – (864) 595-3300, dbritt@spartanburgcounty.org
Councilmember Grant DeSheilds, District 4 – (864) 596-2528, gdeshields@spartanburgcounty.org
Councilmember Bob Walker, District 5 – (864) 590-0409, bwalker@spartanburgcounty.org
Councilmember Jessica Coker, CPA, District 6 – (864) 542-9754, jcoker@spartanburgcounty.org
County residents are also strongly encouraged to attend the County Council meeting to express concerns:
Monday, May 19, 2025
Meeting begins at 5:15 pm
County Council Chambers, County Administrative Office Building
366 North Church Street
Spartanburg, South Carolina 29303.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact AKC Government Relations at doglaw@akc.org.