Murphy – Cherokee County Commissioner Ben Adams has vowed that the 10 months remaining in his term will be spent bringing up important issues that the board has failed to address, but one – animal control – has risen to the top for a tragic reason.
A Hiwassee Dam woman was killed on Feb. 25 in what law enforcement believes was caused by three dogs – a neighbor’s two pit bulls and a Great Pyrenees.
The subject of animal control has come up numerous times over recent years, with rural residents complaining that they don’t feel safe in their own neighborhoods and bicyclists reporting being attacked and needing medical care.
Several gave the same sobering warning: Will it take someone’s death for something to be done? Sadly, the county is about to find out.
‘I want a date’
Adams is not running for re-election after failing in a bid to become chairman of the board in December and seeing himself continuing to be on the losing side of 3-2 and 4-1 votes.
But since that time, he has raised lingering issues, including uncontrolled growth of high-impact industries and, at the board’s February meeting, animal control.
Adams said because of opposition to a county leash law, the board needs to do something about dealing with dangerous dogs.
“I get ignored a lot,” Adams said at the meeting. “I want a date.”
He got a date – April 20, following the board’s regularly scheduled monthly meeting. But he’s gotten a date before – in 2024 – and the issue has not been resolved.
Adams said the board of commissioners has been “dragging its feet” for more than six years, but its animal control law addresses snakes more than it does dogs.
Adams said he wants a “true animal control workshop.”
“We need a plan,” he said. The county needs a law, and it has to have teeth to deal with issues like a Rottweiler that doesn’t bite its owner but bites other people.
Adams’ statement became a premonition.
Years in the making
The county pays Valley River Humane Society $250,000 a year to house unwanted dogs and cats, along with dogs being held in evidence, like three that were seized by law enforcement Friday involving the death in Hiwassee Dam.
Back in 2024, Adams said the board has been talking about the issue for two years, and it was time to do more about it. He called on the board to pick a date and have stakeholders – including the health department, which has been missing from previous discussions – meet to find solutions.
The board chose Sept. 30, 2024.
Cherokee County commissioners, sheriff, health department and Valley River Humane Society representatives held a work session on Sept. 30, 2024. Since then, some progress has been made – the humane society added areas to hold dogs brought there for law enforcement reasons, and the sheriff’s office obtained vehicles and other equipment necessary for animal control.
Then-sheriff Dustin Smith was named animal control officer for the county in 2024. However, he was given no additional resources to handle the job, and no new laws were enacted giving the sheriff’s office more authority to deal with dangerous dogs.
Caldwell County comparison
In addition, the county has not instituted any new regulations dealing with vicious dogs or spaying/neutering dogs and cats.
On Sept. 12, 2024, representatives from the sheriff’s office and Valley River Humane Society met with animal control officials from Caldwell County, where the county has an “Animal Care Enforcement” department that provides an array of services, including a shelter, adoption and education programs and low-cost rabies vaccinations. It also investigates animal cruelty, dangerous dogs and rabies cases.
The Caldwell County agency maintains a vibrant Facebook page that keeps its more than 15,000 followers up to date about adoptions, education and other relevant information.
Richard Gilliland, director of the Caldwell County Animal Care Enforcement and vice president of the N.C. Animal & Rabies Control Association, and John Runion, field enforcement supervisor at Caldwell County Animal Care Enforcement, shared “better ways for the organizations to work together to provide better services to the citizens, and animals of Cherokee County,” according to a release from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
“A frank conversation was held discussing the needs, and limitations both organizations face providing a minimal level of services to the community,” according to the release. “Mr. Gilliland provided guidance and recommendations on how to move forward, facilitating the discussion and providing options that he has seen work across the state.
“According to Gilliland, there is only one other model set up like this in the state he is aware of and it brings its own unique challenges, and while it has hurdles, he thinks it will work with community and commissioner support.”
“This was a great step,” Smith said. “This was a really great conversation between the leaders of the humane society and the sheriff’s office. This helps to prepare us for those conversations we will have with the commissioners on the 30th.”
Caldwell and Cherokee counties is not an apples-to-apples comparison.
Caldwell County has a population of around 80,500 and its government has an annual budget of $124 million. Cherokee County’s population is around 29,500 and its government has an annual budget of around $58 million. While Caldwell County may possibly have a bigger animal control challenge, it also has more resources to draw from than Cherokee County.
‘We need everyone’s support’
Don Reynolds is president of the Valley River Humane Society. A retired Air Force brigadier general who lives in the western part of Cherokee County, Reynolds became president of the humane society board of directors in early 2024.
He attended the meeting with the sheriff and Caldwell County animal control officials and believes Cherokee County can adapt some of what they learned in that meeting.
“Currently there are 300 animals in the shelter; our max capacity,” he said in a message posted on the humane society’s Facebook page. “When we are at max capacity, we cannot accept any additional animals.”
Reynolds said the organization regularly fosters, adopts out and transports animals to waiting families, “however, no sooner do we open spaces, than they are immediately filled.”
He said what they learned from Caldwell County helps find collaborative solutions “and facilitated a starting point.”
Reynolds said he has also met with officials in Graham and Clay counties, which also contracted with the humane society for shelter services. Cherokee County accounted for about 74% of animals at the shelter, with Graham County at 15% and Clay County at 11%.
Graham County has since dropped out of the arrangement.
“As a no-kill shelter, the primary goal of VRHS is to compassionately reduce the number of homeless animals in our communities, while minimizing the expense to the taxpayers. The cost of housing, vaccinating, neutering/spaying and caring for these animals, while they wait for their forever homes, is substantial,” Reynolds said.
“Without the incredible dedication and determination of our staff, volunteers, donors and the counties’ support, these animals would suffer, die or reproduce. We need everyone’s support.”