On the ground in South Carolina

When South Carolina’s cost of care law passed unanimously in May 2024, it took effect immediately. The law requires defendants in animal cruelty cases to pay for the care of animals removed from their custody during court holds—a burden that previously fell on taxpayers and already-stretched shelters. The law has been especially critical in combating the state’s illegal dogfighting rings, where a single case can involve dozens of animals.

Meredith Lee/Humane World for Animals

Janell Gregory

“Shelters have a finite amount of space,” says Janell Gregory, South Carolina state director for Humane World for Animals. “So, when law enforcement brings in, let’s say 25 dogs, where are they going and who’s paying for that?”

Now, if defendants can’t pay for boarding and veterinary costs, the animals are surrendered, allowing for faster adoption. In 2024, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division rescued more than 200 dogs from dogfighting operations alone, and that number jumped to nearly 500 in 2025. Gregory, who has a background in law enforcement and has assisted our Animal Rescue Team in several dogfighting cases, says the real bottom line is the animals saved—and seeing how they react.

“In October, there was this little brown-and-white girl who was taken off her chain, and she was really, really skinny. But as soon as we put her in one of the kennels in the rig, she had those little tippy-tappy toes,” says Gregory.

“The amount of injuries on those dogs and there they are, tail wagging, happy to see you...that’s hard to wrap your mind around. We truly don’t deserve dogs.”