It wasn’t just dogs who suffered in Chesterfield County. According to a former shelter worker, cats were beaten over the head with a pipe to knock them out. That same shelter worker told FOX Charlotte that, during the time he was there, he never once saw them kill an animal by humane euthanasia.

So, what was Chesterfield County doing with their euthanasia drugs? No one knows,
but one of the drugs commonly used for animal euthanasia is also sold
on the street as “Special K.” The guy who should have been keeping track
of the controlled substances was shelter director Brian Burch, a
convicted felon who served time on drug charges.

As if the brutal killings and drugs weren’t enough, Chesterfield
County has gone for the trifecta of crimes and cruelty with allegations
of dogfighting activity.
When a whistleblower, going by the name of “Jennifer,” asked about game
dogs, one of the inmates working at the shelter didn’t hesitate in
setting up an impromptu fight right there in the kennels.

This isn’t a case of one inmate whose duties had been poorly
assigned. Burch’s name commonly cropped up whenever dog fighting was
discussed, and there had been equipment at the shelter which could have
been used to train dogs to fight. Chesterfield doesn’t adopt out pit
bulls, but Jennifer said that cages of scarred pit bulls often had tags
to “Hold for Brian Burch.” Burch also breeds and sells dogs with
bloodlines that can be traced back to Michael Vick’s kennels.

Jennifer told FOX Charlotte, “In my opinion, nothing has
gotten better. They’ve only gotten better at hiding things.” But thanks
to a series of whistleblowers coming forward, the game may be up for
Chesterfield County.

Sheriff Sam Parker, whose department runs Chesterfield County Animal
Control, originally assigned the case to himself. Thankfully, it was
handed over to SLED, the State Law Enforcement Division. SLED wrapped up
their investigation late last week and turned it over to the attorney
general’s office.

But Deborah Fahri, who works with Paws n Claws (the local group that
helps adopt out animals from the shelter) and found the bodies in the
landfill, says SLED never talked to her. Yesterday, Fox Charlotte reported
that other witnesses of cruelty at the shelter were never interviewed
by SLED either. That raises questions about how seriously the state is
taking these very serious allegations against the shelter.

Now it’s in the attorney general’s hands and we need to make sure the
state doesn’t try to sweep Chesterfield County’s criminal activity
under the rug.

Tell
the attorney general to hold everyone responsible for the cruelty at
Chesterfield County Animal Shelter accountable for their crimes.

A rally is scheduled for April 21, at 3 p.m. on the steps of the
State House in Columbia, SC. You can find out more about the awareness
day in memory of the dogs shot in Chesterfield, and in honor of all
animals suffering in SC shelters, here. You can also get updates on the situation from the Paws n Claws Facebook page.