The Cherokee County Council Public Works Committee spent an hour Thursday afternoon haggling over how to handle strays who are too young to be spayed or neutered under veterinarian guidelines.

Strays are taken to the Cherokee County Consolidated Animal Shelter, and after a minimum 5-day holding period, those that are too young or underweight to be sterilized are killed. The Cherokee County Humane Society has proposed an amendment to allow the organization to place the puppies into foster care until they are mature enough to be sterilized.

State law requires that all animals be spayed or neutered before their release from an animal shelter.

It's the third time the committee has met to discuss the issue and committee chairman Bailey Humphries expressed frustration "the county was being held hostage" by the Cherokee County Humane Society officials until an agreement was finalized.

The issue of what to do with the puppies came to a head earlier this month when the Cherokee County Humane Society suspended its adoption services at the animal shelter. Since then, approximately 100 animals have been euthanized at the shelter, according to shelter manager Connie Singletary.

The Cherokee County Humane Society serves as the sole adoption coordinating agency for the county.

"We need to be working together," Humphries said.

He then emphasized he believed the Humane Society was doing a good job of increasing the shelter's adoption rate to 25 percent.

Representing the Humane Society at the meeting, local attorney Sara Shiflett said she believes the inability to come to an agreement with the county is the reason the Humane Society is no longer present at the animal shelter.

"I just think we have gotten into so many teeny details we got all trapped up in where we can't work together," she said.

Shiflett suggested that state law allows the Humane Society, not the county, to be responsible for ensuring an animal has been sterilized after its release.

County attorney Joe Mathis said he interprets the state statute differently.

"When we release (the animals), the (Humane Society) must report back to us because we are still responsible for getting (the sterilization) done," he said.

Humphries then suggested the county seek an attorney general's advisory opinion on the issue of responsibility. Shiflett said that's already being done.

In addition to agreeing to seek an attorney general's opinion, the committee instructed Mathis, Shiflett, and Cherokee County Assistant Administrator Holland Belue to work with to forge an agreement. Wyles has been out of the country and unavailable for comment.

The Humane Society made its initial request to place puppies in foster care at the committee's meeting May 28. Shiflett said the Humane Society had concerns over amendments to its proposal made by Belue .

Currently, Humane Society volunteers are allowed at the shelter Mondays through Fridays from noon until 4 p.m.

Belue then stressed the county never banned Humane Society volunteers from the shelter. Rather, it's been Humane Society volunteers who have shown a disregard for animal shelter policies, according to Belue.

He added that a group affiliated with the Humane Society, known as Project Snowball, was discovered videotaping animals not eligible for adoption. The videotape was posted on the Internet, triggering more than 40 e-mails protesting the county's treatment of animals.

Cherokee County Interim Administrator Ben Clary added the "Humane Society doesn't have the best track record."