Horry County Humane Society officials met behind closed doors Wednesday night in a private meeting inside a 48th Avenue North law firm, sources tell News13. The shelter remained closed Thursday amid a deadly canine virus outbreak.

The Conway couple who adopted a dog from the Horry County shelter in October said they hand delivered their vet’s diagnosis to the shelter on Nov. 3. The shelter’s director denied knowing about the case in a News13 interview Monday.

Some of you may be leery about adopting animals from a shelter in light of recent troubles at the Horry County animal shelter. However, local shelter workers and veterinarians say, there’s no need to panic or avoid adopting shelter animals.

Canine distemper is a highly contagious and serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and, often, the nervous systems of puppies and dogs. The virus also infects wild canids (e.g. foxes, wolves, coyotes), raccoons, skunks, and ferrets.

A local pet owner who adopted two dogs from the Horry County Humane Society animal shelter says he had to put one of those dogs to sleep.

Horry County Humane Society officials have closed their shelter and are euthanizing scores of dogs believed to be contaminated with the distemper virus, while still allowing dogs currently in their care to be adopted.

Following two confirmed cases of distemper virus at the Horry County Humane Society, the shelter closed Monday. Shelter director Renee Macklen said the closing is indefinite.