Animal Services in Baldwin County

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Impoundment Facilities or Shelters in Baldwin County

If your pet is lost, remember to check with not only your local shelter or impoundment facility, but also those in neighboring cities and counties.

Baldwin County Animal Shelter is operated by Baldwin County and has been led by Director George Wesley Majors since 2021. BCAS serves the unincorporated area of Baldwin County and municipalities with populations under 5,000.

The BCAS SOP and Law Enforcement Protocols allow for acceptance of dogs from Baldwin County’s larger municipalities as well, with an intake fee of $100 per adult dog or puppy. However, dogs are accepted only on the rare occasion that space is available, according to both a BCAS staff member and Foley Police Officer Dan Sellers. The animal census reports for the first four months of 2026 show only 5 intakes from all municipal sources out of 430 total intakes, or 1%. Foley City Administrator Mike Thompson said that BCAS “has expanded a couple times over the years,” most recently about three years ago, but capacity remains a challenge.

BCAS does not accept animals brought in from the public — neither found animals nor surrenders. Animals are accepted only from ACOs and law enforcement officers, and are posted on Facebook to facilitate reclaiming and to encourage adoption and rescue. Lost or found pets can be reported online.

The volunteer-run Friends of Baldwin County Animal Care and Control Facebook page shares adoptable animals and resources to help the community, including spay/neuter options, TNR, rescues, adoption events, and courtesy posts for lost pets.

Animal Census Reports are posted on the shelter website.

The City of Daphne Animal shelter intakes about 400 to 600 animals annually according to the city website. Deaon Bryant serves as shelter manager.

Across the state of Alabama, public impoundment facilities are operated either (1) directly by a county or city or its law enforcement, or (2) by a contracted operator, usually a nonprofit organization, with little-to-no involvement or oversight by the local government.

The Fairhope community embarked on their own path: a public-private collaboration between the city and The Haven, a nonprofit organization, which since its 2000 inception has paid great dividends in this city of 24,000 known as the Jewel of the Eastern Shore.

As described by The Haven Executive Director Michael Graham, the City of Fairhope Animal Shelter is operated by the city, with The Haven responsible for daily management, including animal care, adoptions and rescue placements, fostering, medical treatment coordination, volunteer management, and many community assistance initiatives.

Animals not reclaimed during stray hold are taken in by The Haven, where they receive comprehensive care and are made available for adoption or rescue. This arrangement is reflected in the City of Fairhope Animal Shelter’s animal census data, which in 2025 recorded 64 animals reclaimed by their owners and 240 transferred to The Haven, for a subtotal of 304 live outcomes out of 315 total outcomes — a live release rate of 96.5%. Data from the two entities, when combined, indicates a 97.7% live release rate for 2025.

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Baldwin Humane Society (formerly BARC) was established in 1979 as the first animal advocacy group in Baldwin County, according to the organization’s website. BHS intakes hundreds of animals each year which are then made available for adoption. BHS is funded solely by grants and donations, and receives no government funding. Most animals are taken in from local impoundment facilities once their “stray hold” ends.

Baldwin Humane Society volunteers bring friendly pets to nursing homes and assisted living facilities as part of a program called Pawsitive Therapy. BHS also coordinates a foster program and helps residents in need of pet food and veterinary care. Next door to the adoption center, the UpTail ReSale offers home furnishings, with all proceeds supporting BHS.

The North Baldwin Animal Shelter has taken in over 4,300 animals since opening its doors in 2010, according to a NBAS representative, maintaining full capacity of approximately 175 animals the entire time.

Animals are taken in from shelters in surrounding counties as well as through owner surrender, the representative said, adding that NBAS is the only facility in the Bay Minette area that accepts surrenders. Dogs and cats available for adoption are posted on Facebook.

“Our facility has a very small dedicated staff,” the representative said. “We mainly survive by grants and donations.” In September 2025, the Baldwin County Commission awarded a one-time $25,000 appropriation to North Baldwin Animal Shelter in recognition of “valuable public service provided to the community.”

The Haven has been managing the City of Fairhope Animal Shelter since the organization’s founding in 2000. In the unique arrangement described above, all animals that are not reclaimed during the 7-day stray hold are taken in by The Haven, where they receive comprehensive care and are made available or adoption or rescue.

In addition to the 240 animals taken in from the City of Fairhope shelter in 2025, The Haven accepted 42 animals from other public shelters in the area, rescues, and a vet clinic; and another 128 puppies, kittens, and adult dogs and cats surrendered by their owners.

The Haven coordinates a foster program, including for neonatal kittens; and several assistance programs. Through Rent-A-Rover, community members are encouraged to take a dog out for a lunch break, a sleepover, or a weekend. Two professional trainers socialize dogs whose lives have lacked human contact.

The Finder to Foster program facilitates the fostering of animals found in Fairhope for the 7-day stray hold. If the animal is not reunited with their family during that time, the finder can bring the animal to The Haven and know that the animal is in the hands of an organization that is committed to finding a positive placement.

This program offers a marked contrast to treatment of good Samaritans who try to help lost animals throughout the state, including in Foley as described below, only to be told that they would now be considered the animal’s owner (a claim that has no basis in Alabama law), to be refused help by animal services, to be forced to pay a fee to bring the animal to the pound, and/or to have to face that impoundment is a likely death sentence for the animal they have worked to help. The Haven’s program, in contrast, creates a mutually beneficial collaboration between the resident and the organization.

Animal Control in Baldwin County

For assistance with animal concerns in the unincorporated area of Baldwin County or municipalities with less than 5,000 population — Elberta, Loxley, Magnolia Springs, Perdido Beach, Silverhill, or Summerdale, call Baldwin County Animal Shelter at 251-972-6834. Stray animals can be reported online.

Animal Control Within Corporate Limits & Police Jurisdiction:

• Animal-related concerns in Bay Minette may be reported to the Police Department, 251-580-2559, where Maria Boone serves as Bay Minette’s Animal Control Officer and Code Enforcement Officer. Impounded animals are held at a contracted facility in Bay Minette. Found dogs and pets available for adoption are posted to the Bay Minette Animal Control Lost/Found & Adoptable Pets Facebook page. Bay Minette also requires pet registration.
• For assistance from the City of Daphne ACO, call 251-620-2800.
• In Elberta, call Baldwin County Animal Shelter at 251-972-6834. Note that chaining and tethering are prohibited in Elberta (§ 6-22).
• The Fairhope Animal Control Department can be reached at 251-929-0354. Impounded pets are held at the City of Fairhope Animal Shelter and posted on The Haven website. Fairhope requires dog and cat licensing (§ 5-22) and prohibits chaining and tethering (§ 5-34).
• Animal control in Foley is the responsibility of Foley Police Department. There is no dedicated ACO. For assistance, call Dispatch at 251-943-4431. Foley Police Officer Dan Sellers said dogs impounded in Foley are held in a small number of kennels [five] at the Foley Police Department or, on the rare occasions that space is available, at Baldwin County Animal Shelter. (Foley does not pick up cats or kittens.) Since Foley has insufficient space to hold animals, residents are asked to “call it in and leave it there,” Officer Sellers told us: that is, to only take animals in if they can commit to keeping or rehoming the animal on their own.
• The Gulf Shores ACO is an officer at Gulf Shores Police Department. Call 251-968-2431 or report online. The Animal Control page lists Baldwin Humane Society
• In Loxley, Magnolia Springs, Perdido Beach, Silverhill, or Summerdale, contact Baldwin County Animal Shelter at 251-972-6834.
• In Orange Beach, Animal Control is part of the Police Department’s Support Services Division. Impounded animals are posted on the Orange Beach Animal Control Facebook page. Call 251-981-9777.
• For assistance in Robertsdale, call 251-947-2222. Impounded animals are posted on the Robertsdale Police Department Facebook page.
• Spanish Fort posts lost and found pets on the City of Spanish Fort Facebook page. Impounded dogs are held seven days and then transferred to Baldwin County Animal Shelter. Animal Control is part of the Public Works Department. Call 251-626-4884 or report the concern online.

If your ACO is unable to help or if your area has no animal services, see this guidance.

Dog Confinement Requirements in Baldwin County

County Adoption of Alabama’s Dog Confinement Statute: Dog confinement is required in Baldwin County because the Baldwin County Commission adopted Alabama Code § 3-1-5, which requires that dogs be confined to the owner’s premises or kept in the charge of a responsible person if off-premises.

Baldwin County adopted Alabama Code § 3-1-5 in 1990, as stated in the Animal Shelter FAQ. The statute was adopted at the request of the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office.

Dog Confinement Requirements Within Corporate Limits & Police Jurisdiction:

• Dog confinement is required by ordinance in Bay Minette (§ 4-26), Daphne (§ 4-4), Elberta (§ 6-20), Fairhope (§ 5-24l ; statute does not apply due to licensing requirement; also, cats may be impounded under 5-26), Foley (§ 3-3), Gulf Shores (§ 5-32), Orange Beach (§ 10-32), Robertsdale (§ 4-3), Spanish Fort (Ordinances 115-2001, 675-2024), and Summerdale (Ordinance 649-2 and #152-96).
• The websites of Loxley, Magnolia Springs, and Perdido Beach suggest that these municipalities do not require confinement by ordinance; the dog confinement statute still applies.
• It is likely that dog confinement is required in Silverhill whether by ordinance and/or statute, however no animal control ordinance appears to be posted on the town website or via Municode, we have not yet confirmed whether a running at large law is in effect. Please email us if you can share information.

How to Report: See How to Report an At-Large Violation.

Low-Cost Spay & Neuter in Baldwin County

• Reduced-cost or free spay and neuter vouchers are available to low-income residents through Baldwin County Animal Shelter (see application on the Baldwin County website), Baldwin Humane Society, and The Haven’s Project PAWS.
• Safe Harbor Animal Coalition and several other Baldwin County vets participate in the ALVMF license plate program, which offers $10 cat sterilization or $20 dog sterilization for Medicaid recipients.
• See Low-Cost Spay/Neuter in Alabama for additional resources.

TNR & Fostering Programs for Feral & Friendly Community Cats:

• Baldwin Humane Society in Fairhope coordinates TNR and foster programs.
• Baldwin County Animal Shelter in Summerdale accepts TNR requests.
• The Haven in Fairhope lends traps and coordinates TNR appointments through their Fix’n Ferals program. The Haven also coordinates a neonatal kitten foster program.

Assistance

• The Haven’s Luke’s Day Pet Food Pantry provides free pet food and supplies to local pet owners in need — no questions asked. The Haven also offers counseling and resources for people in the difficult situation of possibly needing to rehome their pet.
• Baldwin Humane Society assists residents with pet food and funds for veterinary care.
• The volunteer-run Friends of Baldwin County Animal Care and Control Facebook page shares resources to help the community, including spay/neuter options, TNR, rescues, adoption events, and courtesy posts for lost pets.

Baldwin County Documents

Animal Census Reports:

• Baldwin County Animal Shelter monthly reports + publications
• City of Fairhope Animal Shelter 2025 data
• The Haven 2025 data

Other Documents:

• Baldwin County Adoption of Alabama Code § 3-1-5 (1990), and full Minutes (adoption on p. 3-4)
• Baldwin County Commission Public Records Request

Sources

Baldwin County Commission and municipal governments in Baldwin County raise the bar for communication and information access in Alabama. For example, almost all Baldwin County municipalities included animal control information and ordinances on their websites, which should be the norm, just as it is standard to provide information about other municipal services and departments, but unfortunately it remains common for local governments websites in Alabama to omit any content about animal control, sheltering, or ordinances. Relatedly, Foley and Robertsdale would be wise to add animal control information to their municipal websites, as neither appeared to offer any information as of January 2026 or as of a second check in May 2026.

Baldwin County Commission also deserves praise for posting animal control documents and for their public records request process. An Apr. 11, 2025 through the NextRequest portal was fulfilled within two hours. The unidentified staff member pointed to a Meetings Calendar website that included the requested documents — and meeting records dating back to 1901.

• George Wesley Majors, Director of Baldwin County Animal Shelter, spoke to Aubrie Kavanaugh on April 24, 2025 about the shelter and Baldwin County Animal Control.
• Staff member, Baldwin County Animal Shelter, stated on a May 6, 2026 call with Kristin Yarbrough that BCAS serves the unincorporated county and also accepts animals from Robertsdale and Foley “not very often.” She would not provide her name, instead stating that a Baldwin County “media request” would be necessary.
• Nick at Baldwin County Animal Shelter, advised on Mar. 18, 2025 that Baldwin County Commission adopted § 3-1-5 on Mar. 7, 1990.
• North Baldwin Animal Shelter representative shared information about the shelter with Kristin Yarbrough via Facebook on Apr. 9, 2026.
• Michael Graham, Executive Director of The Haven, provided information about The Haven and the City of Fairhope Animal Shelter to Kristin Yarbrough in May 2026.
• Officer Dan Sellers, Foley Police Department, 251-424-0269, spoke to Kristin Yarbrough regarding animal control on May 6, 2026. Officer Sellers also spoke about the Foley dog confinement ordinance, stating that the ordinance is enforced, while responsible owners are not cited (such as if a dog escapes a fence).
• Mike Thompson, Foley City Administrator, shared information about animal control, Baldwin County Animal Shelter, and a future Foley animal shelter on a May 6, 2026 call with Kristin Yarbrough.
• Christi Watkins, Foley City Clerk, could not be reached via phone (the City Hall line rang without a voicemail option) and did not return a Jan. 26, 2026 email requesting information about animal control in the City of Foley. The city website included no animal information that we could find in January or during a second review on May 5, 2026.
• Brenda, City of Foley, advised on May 6, 2026 that Foley Animal Control is the responsibility of the Foley Police Department. When asked later the same day about the status of a Foley animal shelter, Brenda “hadn’t heard anything either,” adding “We definitely need one.” She transferred the call to City Administrator Mike Thompson.
• Amanda, Foley Police Department Dispatch, stated on May 6, 2026 that Foley does have an animal control officer. She did not know where impounded dogs are held, so she took a message for the ACO to provide that information.
• Maria Boone, Bay Minette ACO, shared information via Facebook Messenger on May 7, 2026.

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