by: Barbra Richardson, Chief Branding Officer at The Sunshine House

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No matter which side you’re on regarding this ordinance, I think we can safely say everyone here loves Greenville County.

And the rest of the country is also starting to take notice of Greenville County. Here’s just a sampling of some of our recent press and accolades:

New York Times –52 Places to Go
Travel & Leisure Magazine - 50 Best Places in the World to Travel
National Geographic Traveler – 20 Must-See Places
And just this past weekend, we were featured on ABC News

Towns from all over the country regularly visit with their city planners trying to replicate our success. People are moving here. Retiring here. Young professionals are settling in and starting families.

It’s an odd juxtaposition though, isn’t it? On the one hand, we are this vibrant, thriving, charming community. Where people are nice, respectful and inclusive.

On the other hand, it’s also legal and, therefore acceptable, for your dog to suffer outside without adequate shelter in below-freezing cold and blistering heat. A plastic dog carrier is not adequate shelter in 9-degree weather.

Thousands of Greenville County’s dogs are also legally permitted to be chained up, sometimes for their entire lives. That makes the need for providing adequate shelter to those animals even more critical. If you are chained and unable to move more than 3 feet in any direction, your owner must provide adequate shelter. The dog doesn’t have a choice, but we do.

This past winter, dogs were discovered frozen to death, left outside.

Think about that for a minute. How long does it take for a dog to freeze to death? How long does he suffer?

The pet’s owners, per current laws, cannot be held accountable. Then, guess what? The current laws are insufficient. We have an issue, and we need to act. So today we say -- no more.

Let’s get back to those interested in relocating here (which is also good for business because it increases our tax base).

Why do they want to move here? It’s more than just Falls Park, or the restaurants downtown. I hope it’s because of the people here. Our community.

What kind of community do you want to live in? Would you be proud of? I think most of us here would say Kind. Not cruel. Compassionate. Not callous.

So - No more. This is not ok.

I’m sure when each of you decided to be of service to others and run for County Council it was because you were proud of your community, and wanted to make it better. You wanted to make a difference.

Now is your chance. Now is the time to say this is not ok.

We urge you to vote yes on this common sense, humane ordinance. It’s not always easy to do the right thing. But we think this time -- it is.