A. No owner shall fail to provide his or her animals or pets with sufficient good and wholesome food and water, proper shelter and protection from the weather, veterinary care when needed to prevent suffering, and humane care and treatment.

B. No person shall beat, cruelly treat, torment, overload, overwork, abuse or intentionally commit an act of cruelty or torture that causes a companion animal to suffer serious injury or death or that inflicts or subjects an animal to unreasonable physical pain, suffering or agony. No person shall cause, instigate, or permit any dog fight or other combat between animals or between animals and humans.

1. For the purposes of this section, neither cruelty nor animal torture shall include the following activities:

a. Any alteration or destruction of any animal done by any person or unit of government pursuant to statute, ordinance, court order, or the direction of a licensed veterinarian. Such alteration or destruction shall include, but not be limited to: castration, culling, declawing, defanging, ear cropping, euthanasia, gelding, neutering, shearing, shoeing, slaughtering, spaying and tail docking.

b. Any hunting, fishing, trapping or other activity allowed under Title 50 of the South Carolina Code of Laws 1976, as amended, and any other applicable state or federal laws.

c. Any other activity that may be lawfully done to an animal.

2. Any licensed veterinarian in this county who is presented with an animal for treatment of injuries or wounds resulting from fighting where there is reasonable possibility that the animal was engaged in or utilized for a fighting event for the purpose of sport, wagering or entertainment shall file a report with the animal and environmental control department and shall cooperate by furnishing the owners’ names, dates and descriptions of the animal(s) involved. Any licensed veterinarian who in good faith complies with the requirements of this subsection has immunity from any liability imposed pursuant to this chapter as a result of his or her actions. For the purposes of any proceedings, civil or criminal, the good faith of the veterinarian shall be presumed.

3. A person restraining an animal by a fixed point chain or tether must ensure that the tether and cable/chain are of adequate size and strength (work load limit) to effectively restrain the animal, but the chain or tether may not weigh more than one-eighth of the animal’s bodyweight.

C. No owner of an animal shall abandon such animal.

D. No person, except a licensed veterinarian who is qualified to perform such operations, shall crop a dog’s or a cat’s ears, or crop a dog’s or cat’s tail, or neuter any pet.

E. In accordance with Section 47-1-210 of the South Carolina Code of Laws, 1976, as amended, no person shall give away any live animal, reptile, amphibian, or bird as a prize for, or as an inducement to enter, any contest, game, or other competition, or as an inducement to enter a place of amusement or to enter into any business agreement whereby the offer is for the purpose of attracting trade. This does not apply when a live animal is given away as follows:

1. By individuals or organizations operating in conjunction with a cooperative extension education program or agricultural vocational program sanctioned by the State Department of Education or local school districts;

2. By individuals or organizations operating in conjunction with field trials approved by the Department of Natural Resources; or 3. By kennels that advertise in national publications in regard to dogs that are registered with the United Kennel Club or the American Kennel Club.

F. No person shall sell, trade, or give away as a pet any carnivorous animal that is normally not domesticated. Such animal shall include, but not be limited to those listed in Section 6.04.010, Definitions, Wild Animals.

G. No person shall expose any known poisonous substance, whether mixed with food or not, with the intent that same be eaten by any animal, provided that it shall not be unlawful for a person to expose on their own property common rat poison mixed according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

H. No person shall own, keep, possess, or maintain an animal in such a manner so as to constitute a public nuisance. By way of example, and not of limitation, the following acts or actions by an owner or possessor of any animal are hereby declared to be a public nuisance and are, therefore, unlawful:

1. Failure to exercise sufficient restraint necessary to control an animal as required in Section 6.04.040, Restraint.

2. Allowing or permitting an animal to damage the property of anyone other than its owner, including, but not limited to, turning over garbage containers or damaging gardens, flowers or vegetables.

3. Maintaining animals in an environment of unsanitary conditions, which result in offensive odors or is dangerous to the animal or to the public health, welfare or safety.

4. Allowing or permitting an animal to bark, whine, or howl in an excessive, unwarranted, and continuous or untimely fashion, or to make other noise in such a manner so as to result in a serious annoyance or interference with the reasonable use and enjoyment of neighboring premises.

5. Maintaining an animal that is diseased and dangerous to the public health.

6. Maintaining an animal that habitually or repeatedly chases, snaps at, or attacks, pedestrians, bicycles, or vehicles.

Any animal, which has been shown to be an habitual nuisance as determined by animal care and control, may be impounded and shall not be returned to the owner until said owner can produce evidence to demonstrate that the situation creating the nuisance has been abated and until such owner has paid all impoundment, redemption, and boarding fees accrued. (Ord. 07-O-23 §§ 1 (part), 3, 2007; Ord. 04-O-09 § 2, 2004; Ord. 03-O-01 § 2, 2003)