Chairman under fire over Pickens County's dog adoption policy

The chairman of the Pickens County Commission is speaking out after a group of residents protested the county’s dog adoption policy.

Those protestors claim the policy targets certain breeds—like German Shepherds and Dobermans—but the chairman says the policy bans any dog that’s vicious, no matter what the breed is.

“I have no heard of any bans in any counties of this type before,” a resident said.

Dozens gathered on the corner of Sammy McGhee Boulevard on Monday afternoon, protesting a policy banning the adoption of any dogs the

According to commission chairman Rob Jones, the adoption ban has been in place for about a year after a few dog attacks in the county.

“It’s for the benefit of all the people in Pickens County,” said Jones. “Every animal that comes into the shelter is tested, and one of the ways they did it was feed their feed bowl up and pull the bowl away and see how they vicious the animal was, and there are some of other tests.”

Jones says the ban allows dogs deemed vicious to be adopted out of the county, but, if they can’t find a home, he says they won’t be euthanized.

If an animal is claimed vicious by the public health department or its done something out there in public, then that’s a call that normally the public health or the judicial system will make for us to have to put an animal down,” he said.

Yet, there is still concern from protestors, who tell FOX 5 they’ll continue to fight until the ban is lifted.