Before the local Humane Society began its adoption services for strays, the Cherokee County consolidated animal shelter had been described as an "all-kill" shelter.

That description apparently applies again.

Cherokee County Humane Society officials have been absent from the facility since Wednesday, June 10. That means that all dogs and cats that aren't reclaimed by their owners within five days will be euthanized.

Cherokee County Assistant Administrator Holland Belue said the Humane Society is welcome at the shelter during hours of operation.

But Humane Society officials say Belue pulled the welcome mat out from under them when he banned representatives from the Snowball Program from the shelter June 12.

The Snowball Program makes videotapes of shelter animals and posts them on the internet. Humane Society officials claim the program has been responsible for a significant increase in the save rate of animals entering the shelter.

Belue admitted Friday he has stopped the program because he discovered Snowball Program representatives were producing videotapes of animals not eligible for adoption.

"I supported it as long as they focused on animals that could be adopted," he said.

According to Belue, the Snowball Program made a videotape of puppies that, according to the county's existing animal shelter procedures, can't be adopted because they are too young to be spayed or neutered under veterinarian guidelines.

State law requires that an animal must be spayed or neutered before it's released from the shelter, Belue said.

Humane Society President Judy Wyles said in an e-mail that Elaine Harris, the banned Snowball program volunteer who is the director of Pom.Rescue.com, sought permission to put a Pomeranian mother and her seven puppies in her rescue program.

"At first the answer was yes, then no," the e-mail said. "Connie (Singletary), the shelter manager feared for her job if she didn't clear their foster care with Holland Belue, the county's assistant administrator who wrote the policy without consulting either the veterinarians or animal welfare professionals. The policy is even stricter than state laws, indicating that the county might be interested in making it hard for us to function effectively to rescue and adopt the animals in their county pound."

Humane Society officials said the seven Pomeranian puppies and their mother were euthanized at the shelter.

The puppies might still be alive if the county acted more swiftly on a memo of understanding with the Humane Society that would allow puppies to be released into foster care without being spayed or neutered. The memo has been stalled in the county's Public Works Committee for nearly two months.The Humane Society claims the committee has yet to read the proposed memo and seemed "unable to comprehend the simple requests" contained in it.

But Belue disagrees with that assessment, arguing the Humane Society has dragged its feet on drafting the memo.

The hard feelings between the county and Humane Society began some time ago.

Last year, claims by the Humane Society the county violated state laws for failing to sedate the animals before they were euthanized resulted in an investigation and arrest of two current and one former animal control officer on animal cruelty charges.

The investigation prompted the county to adopt new guidelines for the shelter operations as well as partner with the city to upgrade the facility. But Humane Society officials say the unsanitary conditions can't be covered over by a fresh coat of paint.

"We have witnessed filthy conditions despite having two full-time animal shelter employees," the Humane Society said.

Upgrades to the shelter included the construction of a separate room for cats. But the Humane Society claims the cat room hasn't opened and that cats are still enclosed in small cages near the dogs. The exterior fence has yet to be repaired, allowing several dogs to disappear from the shelter, the Humane Society claims.

"Instead of being thankful for the help of the Humane Society, its volunteers and their willingness to work within all county policies, County Council, (Interim Administrator) Ben Clary, Holland Belue, shelter manager Connie Singletary have continued to make the working relationship difficult," the Humane Society said.

Wyles said without the Snowball Program, the Humane Society will "have to find a more creative way to save the animals, and hopefully will be able to advertise that we'll do all we can to help re-home or find rescue for as many as we can intercept on their way to the pound."

Belue said he hopes the Humane Society can move past its anger with the county.

"The Cherokee County Humane Society is welcome at the shelter Monday through Friday," he said. "They can take photos of dogs that are adoptable and that meet the requirements of the policy.