Animal Services in Chilton County

We welcome your updates, additions, corrections, or comments: please email us. Information that you provide can be attributed to you or kept anonymous, as you prefer.

Impoundment Facilities or Shelters in Chilton County

Chilton County Animal Shelter is managed directly by Chilton County Commission. The shelter partners with the Chilton County Sheriff’s Office, the cities of Clanton and Jemison, and the towns of Maplesville and Thorsby, according to the shelter website. Funding is through the county and the cities.

Christina Bullock moved from Ohio in December 2024 to direct the shelter upon its transition to the Commission upon the dissolution of the nonprofit that had operated it for the past 40 years. “Seeing the animals, the living conditions that they were in, really broke my heart,” Christina told ABC 33/40 in late December 2024. Rather than killing animals to make room in the already full shelter, Christina brought in additional kennels. She also said that the facility was not sufficient for the number of stray animals in Chilton County; her hope is that a new facility can be constructed.

The shelter welcomes volunteers to assist at the shelter, at adoption events such as the shelter holds at Tractor Supply, or by fostering animals.

• Stray Hold is 7 days.
• Owner Surrenders are accepted on a managed basis. No fee is charged; monetary or food donations are appreciated.
• Spay/Neuter is performed on all animals prior to release to the adopter. In the rare circumstance that the animal is too young for the surgery, the animal goes home with a 30-day sterilization agreement.
• Animal Census Reports are prepared monthly and are reportedly published online, though we did find data on the Chilton County Animal Shelter website.

Chilton County had previously contracted animal sheltering to the nonprofit Humane Society of Chilton County. That organization dissolved in January 2025 after four decades of operation, according to a report by Tyson Evans of ABC3340, at which time the county took over operation of the shelter and animal control.

Animal Control in Chilton County

Animal Control in Unincorporated Areas of Chilton County: Chilton County employs one ACO who is a deputy at Chilton County Sheriff’s Office. Call Chilton County Dispatch at 205-755-2511. If you are seeking assistance with a lost or stray animal, be aware that the Sheriff’s Office does not pick up loose animals, acccording to the shelter FAQ; the shelter does allow residents to bring the animal to the shelter for intake if the resident can safely handle the animal.

Animal Control Within Corporate Limits & Police Jurisdiction:

• For animal concerns in Calera, see Animal Control in Shelby County.
• Animal control in Clanton is the responsibility of Clanton Police Department. Call Chilton County Dispatch at 205-755-2511. Clanton Police Officers do impound stray dogs, acccording to the shelter FAQ, and residents may also transport animals to the shelter if they can do so safely.
• Officer Steven Blalock of the Jemison Police Department is responsible for animal control and code enforcement. Call 205-688-4491 x4.
• The Thorsby Police Department is responsible for animal control and animal law enforcement in Thorsby. Call 205-646-3575 x3.

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

Dog Confinement Requirements in Chilton County

County Adoption of Alabama’s Dog Confinement Statute: Dog confinement is required in Chilton County because the Chilton 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.

Chilton County adopted Alabama Code § 3-1-5 on Nov. 26, 2024, as can be read in the Minutes (p. 10) or in the excerpt on page 1 of this PDF of Chilton County § 3-1-5 documents. Page 2 is a letter from the Sheriff asking the Commission to adopt the statute; the Commission did so on the same day. Pages 2–4 are given to the dog owner by the ACO upon report of a violation. Also, the Chilton County Animal Shelter posted on Facebook on Mar. 19, 2025 about the statute’s 2024 adoption. Adoption was previously discussed at a 2015 meeting, according to a Clanton Observer article.

Dog Confinement Requirements Within Corporate Limits & Police Jurisdiction: Dog confinement is required by ordinance in Calera (§ 3-23), Clanton (§ 4-30), Jemison (§ 4-14), Maplesville (#139 § 4b), and Thorsby (Ordinance 176 § 4-5).

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

Low-Cost Spay & Neuter in Chilton County

• Chilton County Animal Shelter recommends the nonprofit clinics in Irondale and Montgomery.
• As funds allow, the Chilton County Animal Shelter offers deeply discounted surgeries and pet transportation for Chilton County pet owners to lower the rate. Opportunities are posted on Facebook or residents can inquire by calling Alabama Animal Alliance at 334-234-7387.
• For assistance with feral and friendly community cats, see Cat TNR & Fostering, below.
• See Low-Cost Spay/Neuter in Alabama for additional resources.

Cat TNR & Fostering

The 501c3 nonprofit Country Cattery assists with TNR (also called TNVR: trap, neuter, vaccinate, return), vet care, foster programs, and adoption of feral and friendly community cats in Jefferson, Chilton, Shelby, and St. Clair counties. TNR ensures the health and stability of the colony by trapping the cats so they can be sterilized, ear-tipped (for identification), vaccinated, and have any health needs attended to prior to returning to their home. If you have noticed a cat colony in your area, contact the Country Cattery via email or through Facebook right away.

Friendly cats and kittens are fostered and made available for adoption. The Country Cattery is always in need of foster families who can provide care, love, attention, and a laundry room, bathroom, or spare bedroom in their home for 2–8 weeks (occasionally longer) to prepare cats to thrive in their forever homes. Fostering is a great opportunity to spend time with cats and kittens even if you are unable to adopt or make a long-term commitment, and costs are paid by the Country Cattery.

Animal Shelter Veterinarians (ASV), also referred to as GBHS Spay/Neuter & Critical Care Clinic, provides free sterilization of community cats. Call 205-898-7812 or 205-982-6801. The clinic is located at 5220 Princeton Way in Hoover.

Chilton County Documents

• Chilton County § 3-1-5 Adoption — see Dog Confinement for additional Chilton County adoption documents.
• Chilton County Commission Public Records Requests are accepted in-person only. If your request is denied on that basis, see this information. A Commission staff member did uphold the in-person policy when we requested Alabama Code § 3-1-5 adoption documents; we did not challenge because ACO Sgt. Rocky Mims provided the documents.
• City of Jemison Public Records Request Form & Policy

Sources

• Sylvia Singleton, Chilton County Administrator, 205-755-1551, spoke with Aubrie Kavanaugh about the shelter and animal control on April 29, 2025.
• Christina Bollack, Director of Chilton County Animal Shelter, 205-287-0502, cbollack@chiltoncounty.org, spoke with Aubrie Kavanaugh about the shelter and animal control on April 29, 2025.
• ACO Sgt. Rocky Mims, Chilton County Sheriff’s Office, provided Alabama Code § 3-1-5 adoption documents on Apr. 24, 2025.
• Chilton County Animal Shelter staff member provided animal control information and referred us to ACO Sgt. Rocky Mims in a conversation via Facebook Messenger on Apr. 23, 2025.
• Vicki Potts, City Clerk at City of Jemison, provided the Jemison animal control ordinance by having it posted to the city website on Oct. 24, 2025.
• Dawn Smitherman, Town Clerk of Maplesville, provided the Mapleville animal control ordinance on July 2, 2025.
• Rachel Cochran, VP of the Country Cattery, messaged with Kristin Yarbrough on Apr. 22, 2026.

Do You Have a Correction, Addition, or Comment?

Please see the note at the top of this page.