Pets

Consumer spending on pets has more than doubled in the United States in the past ten years. From veterinary care, pet food and over-the-counter medications, to toys, pet spas and hotels, it's evident that people love their pets. In Greenville, South Carolina, dogs even have their own park across from the Cleveland Park Animal Hospital and horse stables on Woodland Way.

Greenville, SC has two animal shelters, the Greenville Humane Society and Concerned Citizens for Animals in Simpsonville, SC. Each year, the Greenville Humane Society finds homes for more than 5,000 animals. In addition to pet adoption services, the humane society also offers a spay and neuter clinic and a pet therapy program staffed by community volunteers who take puppies to local nursing home residents, hospital patients and others who suffer adversities or disabilities.

Greenville also has dog specific groups formed for mutual support and social networking. The Upstate Greyhound Club, for example, is a group of greyhound owners from Greenville County and surrounding areas who give support to and promote Greyhound adoption. The club also is working to form a Greyhound sitting exchange service, a pet therapy program to visit area nursing homes, and a senior owners group to assist newly adoptive owners and those interested in adoption.

Greenville County animal lovers give equal time to felines. The Kitten Action Team, a nonprofit organization based in Fountain Inn, SC, rescues kittens between the ages of seven and twelve weeks. KAT kittens receive medical attention, are spayed and neutered, and placed them in loving homes.