LORIS, S.C. (WBTW) — A Loris woman is pushing for better protection measures for animals in Horry County.
According to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, South Carolina ranks among the 10 worst states for animal protection laws. Lynn Greco is trying to change that, but needs help from the county.
Greco has been a lifelong animal lover and a member of the Animal Voice Alliance of South Carolina group. About a year ago, she saw a problem.
“I had concerns of some dogs in the neighborhood that I saw they did not have proper shelter, especially with these environmental conditions in South Carolina,” Greco said. “You definitely need a shaded area, you need proper water, adequate food.”
After learning about the current animal cruelty laws, she decided they needed to be changed so she drafted up a proposed ordinance to take to Horry County Council.
“You go further out into the country and it’s disastrous,” Greco said. “I mean there are animals that are chained to pens and chained to trees.”
The proposed ordinance would do five major things:
- Provide guidance on animal sheltering
- Promote community cat care through a spay and neuter program
- Encourage adoption from shelters and rescues
- Prevent commercial large sales of animals through puppy mills
- Require safe transport of animals in vehicles
“They’re living, being, breathing creatures,” Greco said. “We have to be a voice for the voiceless.”
The proposed ordinance was up for first reading at this week’s council meeting, but got deferred and sent back to the public safety committee.
“There were some issues that were brought out and I got some calls from different people,” Horry County Council Chairman Johnny Gardner said. “We want to do it right and get it right so we sent it back to public safety. They’re going to look at some issues.”
Greco plans to talk at next month’s public safety meeting. Read more about the proposed ordinance on the Horry County website.
Greco said the Animal Voice Alliance group is looking for new members. You can find out more on their Facebook page here.
