New teeth for pet ordinance

York County Animal Control officers now can enforce the new pet ordinance.

York County and the city of Rock Hill recently took a big step in upgrading pet regulations. Now county animal control officers will have the authority needed to enforce the new rules.

In February, county leaders approved a sweeping set of regulations to protect pets in the county, and Rock Hill followed suit in July. The new rules specify which chains can be used to restrain dogs and require that animals be kept in sanitary surroundings and have access to food, water and shelter from sun and rain. Female dogs or cats in heat must be confined inside buildings or secure enclosures so as not to attract male suitors.

The new rules were a response to complaints that too many residents were mistreating their animals, leaving them chained in yards with no access to food, water or shelter. While some animal rescue activists criticized the new ordinance for not going far enough, the compromise ordinance was a significant improvement over existing regulations.

But one key element to the effort — enforcement — hit a snag. The county's six-person animal control staff could not be authorized to fully enforce the new policy until they had taken training required by the state.

Until they had received that training, they were required to continue calling police to cite owners or take possession of a mistreated or dangerous animal. Unfortunately, the state Criminal Justice Academy did not have enough slots to train the county animal control officers, and the waiting list was long.

To make matters worse, the academy was accepting only law enforcement officers, which pushed back training for animal control officers indefinitely. But the county found another option: It sent county staffers to Midlands Technical College in Columbia for their training instead of the academy.

That, we think, is a sensible solution. County Manager Jim Baker said he found the training to be sufficient.

Besides, it is unlikely that an animal control officer will confront the variety of crimes or criminals a police officer would. And if the animal control officers run into something they feel they can't handle, they can call the police or sheriff's department for help.

The priority should be to get animal control personnel on the streets where they can enforce the new rules. The ordinance is a step forward, but it needs teeth to work.

Now that pet owners know they can be cited by animal control, they might think twice about disobeying the rules.