Several South Carolina municipalities are choosing not to rely on county animal control agencies and are operating their own programs in conjunction with their police departments. The arrangement gives cities direct oversight of animal-related complaints and streamlines animal cruelty investigations with police officers. Such programs also work with local animal welfare organizations to provide long-term care for pets taken into custody.
Typically, the officers work with dogs and some pet cats. But feral cats present their own issues, and most cities work with county and other organizations on trap-neuter-return programs, commonly known as TNR. Volunteers trap feral cats, which are then sterilized, vaccinated against rabies, ear-tipped for identification and returned to the location where they were found.
While residents often object to seeing cats returned to their neighborhoods, research shows that simply removing feral cats often fails to solve the problem.
“It creates a vacuum effect,” said Christina Morales, supervisor of Florence’s Jayne Boswell Animal Shelter. “Other cats will start moving in that aren’t spayed or neutered.”
Florence’s animal control officers operate under the police department. The city-owned animal shelter handles daily care for animals and partners with the Florence Area Humane Society on veterinary care, fostering and adoption.
This structure was established about four years ago and gives officers greater authority to investigate cases of animal abuse and neglect. Residents report stray animals or welfare concerns to police, and an animal control officer investigates. If officers find evidence of neglect or abuse, they can remove the animal and transport it to the shelter for evaluation and care.
“Before, we just didn’t have that power,” Morales said.
Once a stray animal completes a required seven-day holding period to allow owners time to reclaim pets, ownership transfers to the nonprofit organization. The animals remain at the city shelter, but the Humane Society assumes responsibility for adoption decisions, rescue placements and veterinary services beyond what shelter staff can provide. The shelter is staffed by nine city employees who care for animals seven days a week, including holidays.
Beyond dogs and cats, the shelter occasionally handles more exotic animals, including snakes, iguanas, ferrets, guinea pigs, pet rats, birds and fish. A group of nine snakes, including red-tailed boas, and a large iguana were eventually rehomed through a reptile specialist.
Wildlife cases remain limited. Animal control officers may occasionally respond to reports involving injured raccoons or possums, but larger wildlife issues, including alligators, are referred to state wildlife authorities.
For Morales, who has worked in animal welfare for nearly 15 years, the most rewarding outcome is when abused or neglected animals recover and find permanent homes.
“When animals come in, they are just so broken,” she said. “You watch that transition to becoming trusting again and finding a new home. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Aiken’s animal control officer, Dustin Green, is not a police officer, but works as environmental control officer for the Department of Public Safety’s Community Services Division. He also responds to litter complaints and is certified as both a firefighter and emergency medical responder, allowing him to assist other city divisions when needed.
"Some days, you might get a couple of calls. Some days, you might not get a break at all," Green said. "Every call and every day is different."
The city's animal control program is funded primarily through Aiken's general fund, but the city’s pet registration program helps cover expenses while encouraging responsible pet ownership. Pet owners who have their animals microchipped and spayed or neutered can register them with the city free of charge. Others pay a fee that the city uses to pay for sheltering animals and providing veterinary care.
Aiken contracts with the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to house animals picked up by the city. Animals remain in city custody during the legally required stray-hold period, with the city paying for their care. If an owner does not reclaim the pet, custody transfers to the SPCA and the animal can be placed for adoption.
Green said most of his workload involves responding to reports of stray animals rather than investigating abuse or neglect. Still, those investigations often leave the deepest impression. He recalled the day he found 14 dogs and cats living with an owner who could no longer care for them. In a case last year, four dogs and three cats were found malnourished and in unkempt conditions.
"As animals, they can't talk ... they can't tell you what they've been through or what they've seen or what's been done to them,” Green said. “So I'm their voice. That's what I love about this job."
Green said he has noticed progress during his two years on the job.
"When I first started, it was back-to-back stray dogs everywhere," he said. "You still get dogs that get out of their yard or off the leash, but there's less than when I started."
In Fountain Inn, the city’s dedicated animal control officer is a Class III Advanced officer, which gives her authority to enforce local and state animal ordinances and laws. Fountain Inn partners with Greenville County Animal Care for long-term housing of unclaimed strays.
Rebekah Ward, who became the city’s first animal control officer in 2025, brought years of experience training and caring for animals to the position. She makes education and community outreach a significant part of her job, including demonstrating safe animal handling techniques and explaining what residents should do when they find a stray animal.
For Ward, a typical day includes cleaning kennels, transporting strays to the county shelter and answering calls for loose animals. She also conducts cruelty investigations and bite cases, which require coordination with veterinarians and state health officials.
Recently, while transporting a dog to the shelter, Ward spotted another stray sitting in the middle of the road. The call quickly shifted from animal control to child welfare after the dog wandered to a home where two young children appeared to be alone.
"My day was detoured trying to figure out what was going on with these two little girls," she said. "At that point the dog isn't even the issue.”
A patrol officer was called to the children before Ward resumed her original assignment.
“You think about it as just handling the animals, but it's really about the people, too,” she said.
One difficult aspect of her job is dog bite investigations, which involve frightened victims and families whose beloved pets have seriously injured someone. Ward helps families understand veterinary requirements, explains public safety concerns and, in some cases, delivers the difficult recommendation that a dangerous dog be euthanized.
"You've got a family who loves their puppy," she said. "And all of a sudden, somebody's severely injured because of this puppy. They're not expecting something like this to ever happen, but it happened. You're supporting both sides, who may not see eye-to-eye.”
Ward also advises residents about state laws governing rabies-vector animals and directs them to wildlife professionals or the SC Department of Natural Resources when appropriate.
"I think a lot of it comes down to education and resources," she said. "The more the public is educated, the less issues you have."