DILLON COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — Crystal Thomas and Linda Harris said they went to the Dillon County Animal Shelter last Friday to ask about fostering a dog.
However, they said they didn’t realize the shelter was closed due to a holiday.
Thomas and Harris said they heard dogs barking and what sounded like some squealing in pain and took a closer look through a fence.
The women said to their amazement and disbelief, they saw four dogs fighting in two , separate kennels at the shelter.
“It’s just blooded up. Dillon County needs to do something about this. I mean this it’s emotional. It was terrifying. Nobody could go in there and stop it,” said Thomas.
“They were just going at each other. It was awful. There was blood all over the walls. All over the dog. I got a video of it. I got a couple of pictures of it. And then I got a picture of the dog afterwards,” said Harris.
Thomas said a woman was already at the shelter before they got there and she called 911.
The women said they were too afraid to go inside fearing the dogs could hurt them and they didn’t want to break the law.
Thomas said, “I wasn’t going to take my chance of opening the gate and going in there. I wasn’t going to jeopardize my life.
“We could’ve got in there. I could’ve opened the door. But, I didn’t want to trespass,” said Harris.
Thomas called ABC 15’s Tonya Brown, who reached out to Dillon County Sheriff Jamie Hamilton.
Hamilton immediately sent two deputies to evaluate the situation.
They said the officers didn’t waste anytime going inside the gate to stop the dogs from fighting and attend to their injuries.
“I didn’t know how the deputies did it. what they did. They did a good job by doing it,” said Thomas.
Marion County Administrator Tim Harper said the animals were taken to a veterinarian for treatment.
Harper said the dogs didn’t have any major injuries are have been treated, released and are back at the animal shelter.
The shelter director said last Friday they had four people that worked that day , including two inmates, who help out.
She said they worked from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. cleaning kennels, cages and making sure the cats and dogs were fed and had water.
The director said they had only been gone for one hour, when the fights broke out. The animals have since been separated.
Harper said on holidays and weekends, there is someone at the shelter feeding the animals and cleaning their cages and kennels.
He said it’s done every single day, whether the shelter is open or closed to the public.
Some community members said dog fighting at animal shelters is common and shouldn’t be looked upon as anything negative about the shelter.
They said the dogs being kept in close quarters and some dealing with life inside a shelter, could cause aggression that may lead to dog fighting.
Harris and Thomas said they understand that employees and volunteers work hard to keep the shelter clean and safe for dogs and cats, but they just believe more staffing is needed to help protect and better monitor the animals.
“Nothing offensive to anyone. It’s just that we try to get help. We want to see this place do better and help animals. Build this place. Build more kennels. I’ll do whatever they got to do because these animals don’t deserve this. Nobody don’t deserve this, said Harris.
A county official said they’re hoping to be able to purchase more kennels and cages to house the animals, to lessen the number of dogs inside a kennel.
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