BRUNSWICK COUNTY — A resident effort to strengthen Brunswick County’s extreme weather pet protections failed to gain support from commissioners. Meanwhile, the county’s long-time senator is a veterinarian and wildlife farmer who has taken credit for killing animal welfare legislation at the state level.
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Homestead Animal Rescue owner Mary Ann Harris started a petition last summer — now with 1,644 signatures — to request Brunswick County Commissioners enact an ordinance requiring shade for outside dogs. She told Port City Daily she was inspired to push for stronger animal shelter protections in the county after she witnessed a husky suffer from over 100-degree heat for weeks.
Harris worked with the county’s attorney, Bryan Batton, to bring forward a potential amendment to Brunswick’s animal control ordinance at last week’s commissioner meeting. The proposed text amendment would require pet owners to provide access to a shaded area other than the animal’s primary shelter during the summer season; Harris emphasized that common dog shelters, such as wooden houses and igloos, can trap heat and reach extreme temperatures.
“Lets use some common sense here and do what is right,” Paws for a Cause founder Carol Bridges said at the commissioner meeting. “Give these dogs protection from the elements. They cannot speak for themselves, we have to do it for them.”
Commissioners unanimously voted against the proposal. They argued the amendment is unnecessary because Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office Animal Protective Services is sufficiently carrying out enforcement of animal welfare ordinances.
“I have taken real good care of my dogs,” Commission Chair Mike Forte said. “I am a dog guy. [But] I cannot regulate people — no matter how many laws we pass — you can’t regulate somebody to do the right thing. It’s just never going to happen.”
A representative of the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office Animal Protective Services said the agency believes existing state laws were sufficient to guide enforcement. Southport resident Bill Easley concurred. He cited General Statutes 14-360 and 14-361, which define acts of animal cruelty as Class 1 misdemeanors. Malicious acts of animal murder or torture are a felony in North Carolina.
Alternatively, Harris believes current state and county policies are insufficient to guide pet-owners on safety risks and prevent abuse. She noted a growing number of North Carolina’s counties — around 70 out of 100 — have adopted ordinances specifying shade protections. For example, Pender County Commissioners unanimously enacted an amendment to address extreme heat exposure and shade requirements in 2023.
“In our ordinances it says ‘adequate shelter,’” Harris told Port City Daily. “Well, what is adequate shelter? It says protect them from the weather. What is too hot? There’s no clarification as to the standards.”
The Animal Defense Legal Fund ranked North Carolina 34th in its 2024 state animal law protection report. UNC School of Government Dean Aimee Wall — the co-author of a book on NC animal services law — told Carolina Public Press animal protection varies broadly throughout the state’s counties and municipalities.
“Frankly, I cannot believe we are even speaking of needing a shade ordinance,” Bridges said at the meeting. “This should be standard in this state.”
Brunswick’s Senator Bill Rabon is a veterinarian who has been an influential force over North Carolina’s animal welfare policy for over a decade; the senator raised controversy after a leaked recording revealed he blocked a 2013 bill to establish minimum care standards for commercial dog breeders.
The 2013 commercial dog breeding bill would have required any person who has custody of 10 or more female dogs for the purpose of selling offspring to ensure access to daily exercise, fresh food and water, veterinarian care, and protection from extreme weather.
The legislation specified it only applied to dog owners, but Rabon argued it could be interpreted to negatively impact the state’s multi-billion livestock industry.
He described himself as one of the five most powerful members of the Senate in the 2014 leaked recording and promised constituents he’d use his power to pass a stronger bill in the future. Lawmakers have introduced multiple similar bills since but none have passed and North Carolina remains without a commercial dog breeding law.
Rabon is chair of the Senate Rules and Operations Committee — an influential position over which bills move forward in the General Assembly. Senators have introduced several bills to increase animal welfare protections in recent years that died in the Senate Rules and Operations Committee. They include a 2023 bill — “Revise Animal Cruelty Laws” — that would make intentionally depriving an animal of adequate shelter a misdemeanor offense.
The 2023 bill specified the definition of “adequate shelter” to include proper shading that does not conduct heat in 85 degree weather. It states outdoor tethering of an animal in a period of extreme weather does not qualify as sufficient protection.
Rabon is a member and registered agent of Crabapple Farms LLC. Secretary of State filings describe the nature of the business as “farming of wildlife.”
Wildlife farming is the practice of raising undomesticated animals for commercial purposes. Rabon omitted the business affiliation in his state ethics disclosures.
Rabon owns real estate firm JBF Investments LLC, listed as the property owner of Southport Animal Hospital, Brunswick Animal Hospital, and Oak Island Animal Hospital. The facilities provide veterinarian services under contract with Brunswick County Animal Services.
The Brunswick senator has introduced bills to revise state veterinarian regulations, including a 2023 bill requiring the Veterinary Medical Board give one week notice to veterinarians before inspections and a 2013 bill to set veterinarian licensure fees. Neither bill passed.
Rabon’s campaign has received $30,350 from the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association and $3,250 from the American Kennel Club, a purebred dog registry organization that has lobbied against proposed animal welfare legislation in North Carolina.
Rabon did not disclose his leadership positions in multiple active businesses in his statements of economic interest to the North Carolina Ethics Commission. They include Crabapple Farms LLC, Winnabow Land & Timber, LLC, and Brunswick Animal Hospital Inc. His 2024 Secretary of State filing describes the nature of business for Brunswick Animal Hospital Inc. as “investments and other.”
Port City Daily reached out to Rabon to ask about Brunswick County and state animal welfare policy, if he views filing legislation to benefit his businesses as a conflict of interest, and why he did not disclose his business associations in his ethics disclosures. A response was not received by press.
Tips or comments? Email journalist Peter Castagno at peter@localdailymedia.com.
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