By Megan Anderson HOMETOWN NEWS megan@hometown-news.com The Cherokee County Council has made the decision to reassess how animal euthanizations are conducted amid allegations that the county has been practicing inhumane, and possibly illegal, procedures. The issue came to light at last Monday�s council meeting, when several local vets and animal activists alleged that the county�s animal shelter had been performing a method of euthanization called intracardial injections. Also known as the heart-stick method, an intracardial injection administers a fatal dose of sodium pentobarbital directly to a pet�s heart, rather than the preferred method of an IV. In South Carolina, it is illegal to use this IC method, unless the animal is properly sedated or tranquilized. The heart-stick method can be far more painful to a pet when not performed correctly. If an animal is conscious and struggling, the lethal injection can miss the heart chamber and fill the lungs instead. In addition to discussing the legal aspects of euthanasia at the council meeting and a subsequent emergency session public works meeting last Thursday, council also delved into the more emotional side of the issue. Interim County Administrator Ben Clary stated, �I don�t think there is any humane way to kill anything.� Sandy Christiansen, the Director of the Spartanburg Humane Society, disagreed though. �There are humane ways to euthanize animals and there are inhumane ways,� he said. �Euthanizing animals is a sad thing, but euthanizing them wrongly is even worse.� In response to the concerns brought forward, County Council voted to have properly trained veterinarians perform the procedure for now. Local vets will be hired, as needed, to handle the roughly 35 to 50 euthanizations the county currently handles each month. Though the discussion became argumentative at times, Council agreed to comply with the state�s laws, and to try to handle future euthanizations with more compassion. �We are going to do what the law requires us,� said Councilman Bailey Humphries. �We�re called to be good stewards of everything, and that includes dogs and cats.�