Animal rescue shelter in limbo

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There's a small red sign in the driveway of a defunct massage business off Alex Harvin Highway that was supposed to become a haven for rescued dogs. That sign, a formal cease and desist order, is at the crux of a legal battle pitting Virginia "Ginny" Turcotte and her husband, Rick, against the county and the planning commission. The Turcottes started Forgotten Tails Animal Rescue, which brings in abandoned or discarded dogs and finds new homes for them – usually up north – after they've been neutered, spayed and examined by a veterinarian. They also own Gintek Inc., a business Ginny Turcotte started in 1994, in Macedonia, Ohio, and moved to Clarendon County four years later. Located in the 9500 block of S.C. 260, Gintek Inc. designs and builds specialized applications and devices used in geophysical exploration, the medical field, environmental monitoring and scientific research. There are also a lot of dogs that live there. Ginny Turcotte said when she moved south in the late 90s, it was kind of a culture shock. "I wasn't accustomed to seeing dogs on the loose. Or dead on the road," she said. "Within a couple years I was picking them up. I couldn't stand it. Especially if it was puppies." Rescued dogs had a temporary home. "That's kind of how it started and it just kept going," she said. "There's too many." About a year ago, the Turcottes were told they couldn't have a kennel co-located with their business. So they bought about 20 acres of land off Alex Harvin Highway with the hopes of building pens to house dogs while their new homes are in the works. But the county Planning Commission said “No.” An appeal of that decision was recently heard by 3rd Circuit Court Judge W. Jeffrey Young. His ruling is pending. "It's frustrating at best. I can’t improve what I have and I can't move them to some place better," Ginny Turcotte said.               Rick Turcotte isn't happy, either, with how things have transpired. "They put a red stamp on my freakin' property," he said. "I got $25,000 worth of chain link fence sitting on the ground and poles sticking out the ground because they threw my crew off the site. We spent $115,000 to set this rescue up, and it's been empty for a year. And we can't even do it because the county's in our way." The whole situation seems to be lacking in common sense, he said. "There's supposed to be an adult in the room," he said. County Administrator David Epperson, speaking for the commission, said the Turcottes didn't get proper permits for the dogs at their place of business. Neighbors complained, he said. When the Turcottes tried to get permits, they were denied and given 90 days to move the dogs. After the Turcottes purchased the property off Alex Harvin Highway, they went back before the Planning Commission. "The planning commission found it wasn't compatible with the area and they denied it," Epperson said, noting the Turcottes still erected pens. "The county had to get an injunction to stop that." Rick Turcotte disputes the timing and sequence of events. Epperson said the county's position is that the Planning Commission heard testimony and decided the Turcottes didn't meet requirements. "I felt we made a good argument (before Judge Young) and we hope that the judge will side with the county and uphold the planning commission's decision," he said. Mediation didn't work, he said, and he doesn't think a mutually agreeable decision would arise from further mediation. As for alleged complaints lodged by representatives of New Covenant Presbyterian Church regarding noise, smell or safety issues – or the fact that a chicken farm borders part of the Turcotte's property – Epperson said he wouldn't comment on that. "We argued our side in the hearing and basically that's what I want to stand by," he said. A call for comment from the church – which sits across the street from the Turcotte's Alex Harvin Highway property – was not returned. One of the major sticking points for Rick Turcotte relates to the guidelines of A Second Chance Animal Shelter, which is under contract with the county. "It became a kill shelter and not 'No kill.' They county pays them to operate -- $11,000 a month – that's a lot of money,” he said. “They don't give us nothing and yet they stand in our way and we do it for free.” Epperson said that budget number "sounds about right," and clarified that a county ordinance states if an animal has no collar or ID, the county has to keep it for five days. After five days, the animal becomes property of the county. Adoption is the preferred option – and the county has agreements with other organizations to go that route – but animals can be euthanized. If the animal has a collar or ID, the county has 14 days to locate the owner or follow through with adoption or euthanization. "We try to get most of the animals out to different shelters to help with adoption," he said. "The county doesn't have a formal adoption program but we try to make (animals) available to other entities," he said. Ginny Turcotte thinks the whole saga is silly. They're trying to help, she says. Their property is pastoral and would be perfect for rescued dogs, her husband points out. "I feel like I'm in limbo," she said. "And I'd really like to have a nice place for my dogs. When we didn't get the permit, I was shocked. You mean, I can't have dogs by cows and chickens? Are you kidding me?" Her husband said he'd like to get a jury trial so folks can hear the entire story. He's also dismayed at how he feels the Planning Commission wields too much power. He and his wife never intended to permanently locate dogs at their place of business, he said, and when they tried to move them to the property off Alex Harvin Highway, it was like "they moved the goalposts right in the middle of the kick." "Because I spent 25 years as a Green Beret, I'm pissed off,” he said. “And you know what? I fought in some really crazy places for the rights of people and I never thought when I came to the civilian world I'd be fighting for my own rights. If you can't rescue dogs out here in the country ... God help us."