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Lowcountry Dog Animal Advocate- Michelle Reid
Michelle Reid-
Animal Forensic Specialist
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Written by Julie Murray
This issue’s Animal Advocate is Michelle Reid. Michelle is an Animal Forensic Specialist and Cruelty Consultant and also the director of a Valiant Animal Rescue + Relief. She has assisted authorities with some of the largest animal cruelty cases in the state by gathering evidence of abuse and holding the offenders responsible for their heinous actions against creatures great and small. As a child, Michelle was the kid who would bring home all of the animals she found who were hurt and try to fix them. She said, “My mom still talks about the time I was 4 years old and we were at a big family gathering having a cookout and I reached down and picked up a baby copperhead with a hurt tail. Everyone was telling me to drop it and I refused to because it was hurt and I wanted to help it.” According to her long-suffering mother, this is only one of the many, many times that Michelle would almost give her a heart attack by fearlessly rescuing a wounded animal. Currently, Michelle has three dogs of her own - a mastiff named Diego, a German Shepherd mix named Brewster and a chihuahua named Doozer. (You can find Diego in the 2019 LCDM calendar, giving his best Blue Steel pose!)
Michelle Reid with her dog Diego
All of her animals are rescues from various cruelty cases she was a part of at one time or another. Michelle told me that each one just kind of popped up at one point in her life, came home with her and never left. “I wasn’t looking for a personal dog as I stay pretty busy but these dogs were victims of various [human] cruelty and they all had quirks or something that made them more difficult to adopt out.” They were either so scared that no one could touch them or labeled as “aggressive”, but now they live their lives with her, secure in the knowledge that she will never let anyone hurt them again. One of the most memorable cases of Michelle’s career was a tragedy referred to as the “Goose Creek 45”. The rescue and resulting cruelty case was the result of a long term investigation by Valiant. Michelle worked alongside the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office and removed 45 emaciated hound dogs from the offender’s property in Goose Creek. Investigators also discovered the remains of hundreds more dogs scattered around the property. Due in large part to Michelle’s efforts, Loney Garrett was charged with 43 felony counts of animal cruelty and was sentenced to five years in prison (suspended to two years), five years of probation and a no-animal order. This was a historic sentence for South Carolina and brought light to the plight of abused and neglected animals and the need for stronger animal welfare legislation. I asked Michelle what advice she would give to someone who was looking to help out in the fight against animal cruelty. “Volunteer, foster, donate, advocate for spaying and neutering...if done correctly [animal rescue] really is hard work but also very rewarding.” One of the toughest parts of this type of work, for Michelle, is seeing the anti-cruelty laws not being enforced appropriately or on a regular basis. Let your lawmakers know that preventing and punishing cruelty towards animals is an important issue and make your voice heard when it comes to their ethical treatment. Michelle said that she would also love to see more oversight in . the animal industry, whether it’s shelters, breeders, exhibitors, zoos, rescues or sanctuaries. As an animal advocate, Michelle has a very strong belief that animals deserve respect and should not be mistreated. “They possess the same traits as humans. They feel pain just like us, they fear just like us and they have the will to try and survive. I see the horrible things people are capable of doing to innocent creatures. Creatures that can’t defend themselves. I give them a voice and pursue holding cruelty offenders accountable.” Her overall mission is to stop the cycle of cruelty in its tracks so that it doesn’t escalate into other types of violent crimes.
