Port Royal tables new Beaufort County animal rules
The town of Port Royal postponed a vote on whether to adopt a new Beaufort County animal control law Wednesday, with council members asking for a workshop next month to discuss issues specific to the town.
Among the rules adopted by the county in October is a mandate that pit bulls and pit mixes be spayed or neutered. It was crafted in response to the high number of pit bulls and mixes euthanized by the county.
Owners can appeal a pit bull determination in Beaufort County Magistrate Court.
Beaufort County Animal Services director Tallulah Trice told council members Wednesday that 50 percent of the animals taken into the county shelter from Port Royal are pit bulls and the rest are cats.
"We can't do anything with (the pit bulls)," Trice said. "We're just euthanizing the problem away."
Also new under the ordinance is a licensure requirement for pets, which county officials say will make it easier to find the owner of lost dogs.
In adopting the ordinance, the town would enter an understanding that the county would provide the town's animal control services.
Beaufort County assistant attorney Allison Coppage and Trice agreed to attend the town's workshop to answer any questions and provide statistics.
Hilton Head Island Town Council will also consider the ordinance in January. The county ordinance included input from town managers in an attempt to make it easier for municipalities to adopt.
The county's new pit bull rules are already being challenged by a greater Bluffton woman who was told by her dog must be spayed.
Gabriela Gonzalez's dog, Kyra, an American bully, was brought to the county animal shelter after escaping her leash. Gonzales is challenging the pit bull determination in court.
Port Royal resident Mare Deckard spoke in opposition of the new ordinance. Deckard is appealing a dangerous animal notice related to a 2012 incident in which her dog got out of a fenced yard and killed another dog.
Deckard referenced concerns from Mary Ann Hall, an attorney and member of the S.C. Bar Association Animal Law Committee who reviewed the ordinance before it was passed by Beaufort County Council.
Among Hall's issues were that the dangerous animal provisions would not stand up to a constitutional challenge and that county officials determining a dog's breed would welcome litigation.
Coppage reiterated her confidence in the ordinance, saying it was the result of more than a year's work.
"As with all new ordinances, there certainly will be challenges," she said. "I believe this ordinance is well-written and defensible."
July 10, 2015 As the Beaufort County Animal Shelter bulges with pit bulls and pit bull mixes, and as bites rack up, breed-specific sterilization becomes an option. | READ
Follow reporter Stephen Fastenau at twitter.com/IPBG_Stephen. Reporter Lucas High contributed to this story.
Related content:
- Update: Bluffton woman challenges new Beaufort County pit bull rules, Dec. 1, 2015
- Beaufort County pit bull owners urged to get ready for new rules, Oct. 20, 2015
- Beaufort County Council endorses sterilization rules for local pit bulls, Sept. 16, 2015
This story was originally published December 9, 2015 at 9:14 AM with the headline "Port Royal tables new Beaufort County animal rules."