Late in the afternoon Friday, July 11, a 19-year-old reported being cornered by two large, aggressive dogs at Harbison State Forest. The dogs ran away once a family member came to help the teen. Forest staff searched for the dogs until dusk, but they were unable to find the dogs.
The next morning, HSF Forest Manager Trip Miller became aware of an attack on a trail user as EMS and Columbia PD officers were responding to the incident at the forest. The trail user said he was alone when he was attacked by two large dogs, and the dogs only stopped the attack when another trail user came upon them. The victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries from the encounter.
After communicating with other agencies, the SCFC learned of a similar dog sighting Wednesday, July 9, on neighboring property near Geology Road off Broad River Road. Forestry Commission personnel got in touch with a nearby landowner who reported two large dogs killing several of his goats in the weeks before the dogs were seen at Harbison. This landowner provided trail camera photos of the dogs.
Because of the series of events and the threat to the public, agency personnel decided to close the forest to the public starting Monday, July 14. For two weeks, the SCFC worked with Columbia Animal Control and Richland County Animal Control to set dog traps around the forest. The SC Law Enforcement Division (SLED) assisted with helicopter flights over the forest in search of the dogs, and Protection Chief Darryl Jones and other SCFC staff flew drones with infrared technology over the area.
Wednesday, July 16, staff found a pitbull mix in one of the dog cages on the forest. However, the victims confirmed that this dog was not involved in the attacks. The dog was taken by Columbia Animal Control for evaluation; it was later listed as available on the agency’s dog adoption webpage.
The forest’s closure was extended several times to allow the dog cages time to work, and in that time, staff continued patrolling the forest alongside SC Department of Natural Resources (DNR) personnel, installing trail cameras and scent strips to attract the dogs.
Late night Monday, July 21, the landowner whose goats were previously killed by the dogs reported that the same dogs had returned and killed the rest of his goats. Before the dogs left, a relative of the landowner shot and killed one of the dogs, a black female pitbull mix, but the second dog fled. The black dog’s body was taken by the SC Department of Public Health (DPH) and tested negative for rabies. The victim of the second dog attack at Harbison July 12 confirmed the black dog was one of the two dogs that attacked him.
Out of an abundance of caution, Harbison State Forest remained closed through that weekend and the next pending further developments.
By Monday, July 28, the second dog still had not been found, and more than two weeks had passed since either of the dogs in question had been seen on Harbison. The Forestry Commission announced via social media and a press release that it would reopen Harbison State Forest with limited hours Tuesday, July 29, and communications staff worked with a local dog behavior expert to add prevention and safety tips to the public messaging. Additional signs warning users of aggressive dog sightings and with instructions about whom to call if there is a sighting are located at every forest entrance and trailhead.
The decision to reopen the forest fully came Monday, Aug. 4, after three weeks had passed since the brown dog believed to have been involved in at least one attack on the property had been seen. Harbison State Forest returned to its normal hours of operation Tuesday, Aug. 5, after the agency announced on social media that the front parking lot off Broad River Road, which offers paid-permit access, will resume opening at sunrise and close at 8 p.m.