Upstate animal shelter over capacity after animal cruelty arrest

GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) — Days after a man was charged with 25 counts of ill-treatment of animals, an Upstate shelter is feeling the pinch as they work to care for the animals.

Overcrowding is a common occurrence for employees and volunteers at Greenville County Animal Care.

“It’s not uncommon for us to struggle with space over the summer,” said Aileen Eastergard, volunteer coordinator at Greenville County Animal Care.

Eastergard said dogs of all sizes and breeds are spending countless days and nights in the shelter, oftentimes overcrowding their facility because of a number of surrenders and seizures.

“Recently this week, and the last few weeks, we have been struggling with it, especially with big dogs. It’s hard to come by. We have limited space to put 60-70 pound dogs,” said Eastergard. “When we have large groups coming in from one place, owner surrenders, and court situations, we have to find room for those animals anyway and figure it out.”

Employees said the facility is now over capacity, partly due to an ongoing Greenville County Sheriff’s Office investigation where more than two dozen dogs were taken from a home in Simpsonville. Deputies said it was part of an investigation months in the making.

Investigators said many of the animals were found malnourished, living in deplorable conditions.

Now it’s up to the staff at Greenville County Animal Care to help.

“We have our physical kennel spaces and we also have our capacity for care as far as for staffing to take into account,” said Eastergard. “We have to make sure we have enough people to feed them, clean the rooms, all of that stuff.”

That’s where the community can step in.

“The main thing that is helpful is adoptions,” said Eastergard. “We want to get these animals out. We want them to find their forever homes.”

On Friday, the Everhart’s were few of the many people who visited Greenville County Animal Care looking to make a four-legged addition to their family.

“We’ve always had a soft spot for animals and strays,” said Chris Everhart with his daughter, Savine, sitting nearby.

They helped make space in the shelter, as they took home Roy. Everhart explained their family found the Rottweiler malnourished, wandering on the side of the road.

“He was severely emaciated and not doing well,” said Everhart.

The family said they took the dog to an emergency vet for care. Two weeks later, the rescue is headed back to live a new life with the ones who rescued him.

“It’s always a good feeling to help an animal in need,” said Everhart.

As the new animals trickled in, Greenville County Animal Care said their hope was to get the adoptable ones into good homes. By doing so, they said, their staff will have more time to focus on the animals who need more serious medical attention.

“We always figure it out. We have to,” said Eastergard. “Anything helps. A space is a space.”

It’s unclear if the 25 dogs that were seized from Simpsonville will be put up for adoption.

“That is up to a judge. With legal proceedings, technically they’re evidence. So it’s not up to us,” said Eastergard. “We just house them, take care of them, give them medical attention, make sure that they are okay. And we will do all that until a judge makes a ruling.”

To cap off their Christmas in July celebrations, adoption fees are waived until Saturday at the facility. Employees tell us they hope it will encourage people to visit and help the animals find their “fur-ever” homes.

“Our community has done a great job of stepping up to help us and we just want to keep that going,” said Eastergard.

Greenville County Animal Care is also accepting donations of dog and cat food, along with other important items needed to care for the animals.

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