animal ordinances

Good points all..

just be careful about talking bad about mill neighborhoods or the environment or mentality found there..

we have some fierce defenders that attack anything bad said about them...

Its OK to trash cindy or joey..but not the mill hill...

- palmetto_native

you need to elaborate on that statement.

- kharmakameleon

I've seen several pits running loose over there around the middle and back end of the Appleton mill on several occasions, many even appearing wounded. We all know dog fighting goes on there, but according to Michael Vick, its OK because its their culture, so careful now about you say about dog fighting, Jesse Jackson and his extortion crew may come knocking on your door....


Now to elaborate on his statement. Mill Hill, where most of the current residents ate lead based paint chips as children or currently smoke crack.....I'm waiting for the day where a developer decides to rejuvenate the Appleton mill hill, un-blight the property and get the rif-raf to move out. Back in the day I spent many a night on the mill hill saving the stupid from themselves, and according to those that do it now, its only gotten worse....

unfortunatly you are so right. i just think it's a shame that we have to wait, hope, wish, and pray that developers sweep in and take over in order to redevelop that area. It would be nice if individual people would wake up and realize that you can own a house down there for about $30,000 or less rather than a instant mcmansion down 81 somewhere. if enough good people did that--then the area might be able to redevelop itself. but it's a lot more realistic to hope that there's a developer somewhere that's got a soft spot for mill villages...

watch what you wish for.Some SMART developer will swoop in and bulldoze the whole town and build a Vegas-East

watch what you wish for.Some SMART developer will swoop in and bulldoze the whole town and build a Vegas-East

- wyatt1sc

Then I can open a casino? Cool, I'm game....

Just paint your face and act drunk.......you can be a Native Andersonian-Indian casino owner!

Just paint your face and act drunk.......you can be a Native Andersonian-Indian casino owner!

- wyatt1sc

Why only act drunk?

I wanted to bump this back to the table again. Seems the recent issue at the shelter underscores the need for animal regulations and licensing fees, to generate the needed funds to expand the facility and to feed & care for the animals there.

I wanted to bump this back to the table again. Seems the recent issue at the shelter underscores the need for animal regulations and licensing fees, to generate the needed funds to expand the facility and to feed & care for the animals there.

- wyatt1sc

If the shelter needs an expansion, then it should be added to the budget. They should also budget for animal food and care. If it's not needed because of donations, all the better, and the shelter finishes the year under budget.

Not having a food budget because a company was donating food was a bad decision.

I don't think licensing fees are going to fly in Anderson County. The shelter being part of the yearly budget is much better than licensing fees because everyone in the county pays for the facility whether they want to or not. This way the irresponsible animal owners, the root of most problems, have to pay 'cause it's part of their property taxes, and the responsible animal owners, who would actually pay a license fee, are not subsidizing the deadbeats.

If the shelter needs an expansion, then it should be added to the budget. They should also budget for animal food and care. If it's not needed because of donations, all the better, and the shelter finishes the year under budget.
Not having a food budget because a company was donating food was a bad decision.

- StringCheese

Having a crappy-funded overhead operation like the shelter is shameful to begin with. Additionally the county bears the brunt of CITY animal issues as well.

I don't think licensing fees are going to fly in Anderson County. The shelter being part of the yearly budget is much better than licensing fees because everyone in the county pays for the facility whether they want to or not. This way the irresponsible animal owners, the root of most problems, have to pay 'cause it's part of their property taxes, and the responsible animal owners, who would actually pay a license fee, are not subsidizing the deadbeats.

The flip side: Why should responsible owners be saddled with the costs NOT borne by tax avoiding residents ( like renters and those who avoid everything ) who already take care of their animals ( making a HUGE leap of faith here).
Regulating and requiring annual license fees also insures animals ARE shot and spayed unless a licensed breeder or organization which deals specifically with animal welfare. Whats the harm in a $5.00 annual fee, per animal, if it offsets another tax increase request?

i really believe that a properly funded animal shelter isn't the only answer. i mean, great, what a solution--there's enough money for all the disposed of animals in anderson county. i do think it's a vitally important part of the solution. but to me that's like giving a person that contstantly bangs their head against a wall some asprin. There needs to be a dramatic shift in the way residents of this county view and treat animal welfare. Building a bigger shelter isn't the answer. treating the reason why we need a bigger shelter is a better answer. and i hate to sound like a dictator, but if people won't make this shift voluntary, it needs to be made mandantory. License, registration, proof of vaccination, and proof of spay and nueter records need to be submitted every year along with a per animal tax. Those reputable and inspected breeders will be expempt from mandantory spay and nueter regulations, but only with a breeding permit and yearly inspection.
and of course i would love to see an anti-tether law--but let's not get crazy.

The flip side: Why should responsible owners be saddled with the costs NOT borne by tax avoiding residents ( like renters and those who avoid everything ) who already take care of their animals ( making a HUGE leap of faith here).
Regulating and requiring annual license fees also insures animals ARE shot and spayed unless a licensed breeder or organization which deals specifically with animal welfare. Whats the harm in a $5.00 annual fee, per animal, if it offsets another tax increase request?

- wyatt1sc

Well, even renters pay property tax indirectly with their monthly rent, because the landlord adds property tax to the cost of doing business.

So, let me ask you this: if every animal owner in Anderson County was responsible and had their animals spayed or neutered and inoculated and had adequate fencing to contain them would we even have an animal shelter?

No, probably not, or at least it would only be processing the animals that get abandoned at the flea markets after they don't get sold over the weekend.

So, if the animal shelter is not there because of responsible animal owners, then why saddle them with an additional $5 fee to punish them for being responsible.

At least, with funding from taxes, everyone, including the people that are causing the problem, gets to pay for the shelter. If you try to fund it with license fees, then only the people that aren't causing the problem get to pay extra.

Even people who don't own animals benefit from the shelter because they can turn in a stray dog that's been damaging their property or running loose in the road.

i really believe that a properly funded animal shelter isn't the only answer. i mean, great, what a solution--there's enough money for all the disposed of animals in anderson county. i do think it's a vitally important part of the solution. but to me that's like giving a person that contstantly bangs their head against a wall some asprin.

- kharmakameleon

Well, when all you have is a head, everything looks like a wall. The folks in animal control and the animal shelter are stuck with a thankless job. They are WAY downstream from the source of the problem, and can only try to control the aftermath.

There needs to be a dramatic shift in the way residents of this county view and treat animal welfare.

- kharmakameleon

BWAhahahahahahahaha!......hehehe......sniff.

That's a good one, Karma.
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and the knife wounds in the back.

Building a bigger shelter isn't the answer. treating the reason why we need a bigger shelter is a better answer. and i hate to sound like a dictator, but if people won't make this shift voluntary, it needs to be made mandantory. License, registration, proof of vaccination, and proof of spay and nueter records need to be submitted every year along with a per animal tax. Those reputable and inspected breeders will be expempt from mandantory spay and nueter regulations, but only with a breeding permit and yearly inspection.
and of course i would love to see an anti-tether law--but let's not get crazy.

- kharmakameleon

Once again, only the responsible animal owners will do this, and they're not the problem. Who is going to enforce this? Anderson County only has a few animal control officers, and they have more work than they can handle already.

...and who gets to decide what a "reputable" breeder is?

you're right stringcheese-the best answer is to let things keep going the way they are, becuase that's working so well...

you're right stringcheese-the best answer is to let things keep going the way they are, becuase that's working so well...

- kharmakameleon

Legislation can't fix apathy and laziness, two characteristics of most irresponsible animal owners.

You'll have to wait for about 3 more generations of good ole boys to die off before you have a "dramatic shift in the way residents of this county view and treat animal welfare". Until then you work with what you have.

Not a single thing you suggested in your post will convert an irresponsible animal owner into a responsible one, which is the crux of the problem.

Here's what might work: teach responsible animal ownership in school. Then at least in 20 years those people might change the character of the county.

If the shelter needs an expansion, then it should be added to the budget. They should also budget for animal food and care. If it's not needed because of donations, all the better, and the shelter finishes the year under budget.
Not having a food budget because a company was donating food was a bad decision.

- StringCheese

Having a crappy-funded overhead operation like the shelter is shameful to begin with. Additionally the county bears the brunt of CITY animal issues as well.

I don't think licensing fees are going to fly in Anderson County. The shelter being part of the yearly budget is much better than licensing fees because everyone in the county pays for the facility whether they want to or not. This way the irresponsible animal owners, the root of most problems, have to pay 'cause it's part of their property taxes, and the responsible animal owners, who would actually pay a license fee, are not subsidizing the deadbeats.

The flip side: Why should responsible owners be saddled with the costs NOT borne by tax avoiding residents ( like renters and those who avoid everything ) who already take care of their animals ( making a HUGE leap of faith here).
Regulating and requiring annual license fees also insures animals ARE shot and spayed unless a licensed breeder or organization which deals specifically with animal welfare. Whats the harm in a $5.00 annual fee, per animal, if it offsets another tax increase request?

- wyatt1sc

Have you forgotten that City Residents pay county taxes, too?

Good points all..

just be careful about talking bad about mill neighborhoods or the environment or mentality found there..

we have some fierce defenders that attack anything bad said about them...

Its OK to trash cindy or joey..but not the mill hill...

- palmetto_native

you need to elaborate on that statement.

- kharmakameleon

I've seen several pits running loose over there around the middle and back end of the Appleton mill on several occasions, many even appearing wounded. We all know dog fighting goes on there, but according to Michael Vick, its OK because its their culture, so careful now about you say about dog fighting, Jesse Jackson and his extortion crew may come knocking on your door....


Now to elaborate on his statement. Mill Hill, where most of the current residents ate lead based paint chips as children or currently smoke crack.....I'm waiting for the day where a developer decides to rejuvenate the Appleton mill hill, un-blight the property and get the rif-raf to move out. Back in the day I spent many a night on the mill hill saving the stupid from themselves, and according to those that do it now, its only gotten worse....

- zn706

I live two blocks from the Appleton Mill Hill and 1/2 block from Friendship Court. I have been there since We lost our home due to fire. I was afraid for my children but we had to make a decision quickly and this was the best option at the time.

My neighbors are fantastic law abiding citizens. They have children and pets. They all care for their children and animals in a beautiful and loving way. There are no drugs on my street and as far as I can tell we have not had a problem with drugs from the Mill Hill. There is not a problem with dogs, etc.

My new neighbors from the Mill Hill are intelligent and do not let their children eat lead based paint chips. Yes, I will agree there are some homes that are problems but there are some homes on the north side of town that have problems, too. To make a blanket state like you have made here is uneducated. Perhaps you should take some time to come to my neighborhood and actually meet these people. They pay taxes, love their county, love their families, work hard, and go to church. And, yes they do this drug free, lead base paint free, and dog fight free.

Their children grow up and go to college and actually make a difference in their community. They are busy working and having a life, unlike what you have insinuated. These are GOOD people and you should really think about what you are saying.

Oh Lord not again.

There are no changes to the ordinances. The ones that were proposed made it illegal to have cats sleep on neighbors cars.

Go back to Oct. 2005 and read about this. Anderson County Council was asked to make two changes - the definition of animal and have minimum standards of care. literally 10's of thousands of dollars were billed to the county and hundreds of ridiculous changes proposed none of which addressed the initial problem that lead to the requested changes - that Animal Control be able to enforce county laws against cruelty to all animals.

String cheese has written countless well informed answers about this previously. Who knows why Art says Gracy work very hard. Half the time she showed up without the documents and uninformed about what was going on. She refused to allow Cindy Wilson to speak despite her decades of knowledge about horses. There are tapes of the meetings where she repeatedly told Ms. Wilson to be quiet and not interrupt - with valid questions at that.

Larry Greer said he wouldn't vote for any laws that talked about appropriate fencing because he has friends that are cattle farmers. The state laws all ready address this and if you have insurance your fences have to hold your livestock.

Mostly what came out is that the people who worked so hard to change things - messed up a very simple process and showed themselves to be uninformed fools mired in personal agendas.

Go back and read the history. Left to this County Council what has been accomplished will continue to be accomplished - nothing positive.

Oh Lord not again.

There are no changes to the ordinances. The ones that were proposed made it illegal to have cats sleep on neighbors cars.

Go back to Oct. 2005 and read about this. Anderson County Council was asked to make two changes - the definition of animal and have minimum standards of care. literally 10's of thousands of dollars were billed to the county and hundreds of ridiculous changes proposed none of which addressed the initial problem that lead to the requested changes - that Animal Control be able to enforce county laws against cruelty to all animals.

String cheese has written countless well informed answers about this previously. Who knows why Art says Gracy work very hard. Half the time she showed up without the documents and uninformed about what was going on. She refused to allow Cindy Wilson to speak despite her decades of knowledge about horses. There are tapes of the meetings where she repeatedly told Ms. Wilson to be quiet and not interrupt - with valid questions at that.

Larry Greer said he wouldn't vote for any laws that talked about appropriate fencing because he has friends that are cattle farmers. The state laws all ready address this and if you have insurance your fences have to hold your livestock.

Mostly what came out is that the people who worked so hard to change things - messed up a very simple process and showed themselves to be uninformed fools mired in personal agendas.

Go back and read the history. Left to this County Council what has been accomplished will continue to be accomplished - nothing positive.

- Greene

Greene,

Changing animal ordinance is not a simple process, especially when you have state, county, and municipalities animal ordinances that seem overlapping, and at times contradictory.

The attempts to reform the animal ordinance for Anderson County was full of good intentions, but the process got out of control. The issue was highly emotional, the laws are complicated, and different groups viewed the issue from different angles.

For the sake of humane treatment of animals, I hope we revisit the issue. However, the second time, we may need to do the following:

• Open the dialogue for longer period of time, and collect input from more groups.
• Look at the process as an evolution, not a revolution. Steps in the right direction would be preferred over a leap toward the unknown.
• Explain each step fully, before attempting to take action. And be willing to make modifications based on additional input.

Oh Lord not again.

There are no changes to the ordinances. The ones that were proposed made it illegal to have cats sleep on neighbors cars.

Go back to Oct. 2005 and read about this. Anderson County Council was asked to make two changes - the definition of animal and have minimum standards of care. literally 10's of thousands of dollars were billed to the county and hundreds of ridiculous changes proposed none of which addressed the initial problem that lead to the requested changes - that Animal Control be able to enforce county laws against cruelty to all animals.

String cheese has written countless well informed answers about this previously. Who knows why Art says Gracy work very hard. Half the time she showed up without the documents and uninformed about what was going on. She refused to allow Cindy Wilson to speak despite her decades of knowledge about horses. There are tapes of the meetings where she repeatedly told Ms. Wilson to be quiet and not interrupt - with valid questions at that.

Larry Greer said he wouldn't vote for any laws that talked about appropriate fencing because he has friends that are cattle farmers. The state laws all ready address this and if you have insurance your fences have to hold your livestock.

Mostly what came out is that the people who worked so hard to change things - messed up a very simple process and showed themselves to be uninformed fools mired in personal agendas.

Go back and read the history. Left to this County Council what has been accomplished will continue to be accomplished - nothing positive.

- Greene

Greene,

Changing animal ordinance is not a simple process, especially when you have state, county, and municipalities animal ordinances that seem overlapping, and at times contradictory.

The attempts to reform the animal ordinance for Anderson County was full of good intentions, but the process got out of control. The issue was highly emotional, the laws are complicated, and different groups viewed the issue from different angles.

For the sake of humane treatment of animals, I hope we revisit the issue. However, the second time, we may need to do the following:

• Open the dialogue for longer period of time, and collect input from more groups.
• Look at the process as an evolution, not a revolution. Steps in the right direction would be preferred over a leap toward the unknown.
• Explain each step fully, before attempting to take action. And be willing to make modifications based on additional input.

- Art Kaldas

How about this: just adopt Greenville County's Ordinance. no muss, no fuss, no attorney's fees:

§ 4-11 DEFINITIONS.

For the purposes of this article, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section:

Abandonment (of an animal): The act of any person who:

(a) Abandons an animal by leaving it unattended for a period of in excess of 48 hours without adequate food, water, ventilation or shelter on public or private property, including but not limited to, the property of the owner/custodian