Animal Services in Choctaw County

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Impoundment Facilities or Shelters in Choctaw County

Choctaw County Animal Shelter is operated by an individual who contracts with Choctaw County, according to County Administrator Jessica Hare. The shelter receives funding from the county and is operated by volunteers, said Director Shannon Mosley.

The facility has 12 kennels. Puppies from the same litter are housed together, and adult dogs are paired when appropriate for the dogs’ benefit and to maximize capacity. The shelter was housing 19 dogs at the time of our Feb. 2026 conversation.

Intake: At the county’s direction, only dogs are accepted. The shelter accepts loose dogs found anywhere in the county and dogs surrendered by their owners. The cost of sterilization is a common cause for surrender, Shannon said, and when puppies are brought in, shelter volunteers ensure that the owner is provided a spay/neuter certificate to prevent future litters.

Outcomes: A lot of dogs are sent to rescues, and some are adopted locally. Adopters find out about available dogs through Facebook and word of mouth. The shelter does not keep public hours. All adopted dogs are vaccinated and sterilized prior to release to the adopter, Shannon said. Choctaw County funds the spay and neuter of shelter animals, Jessica said and Shannon confirmed.

Animal Census Reports: Jessica had not heard of the Animal Census Reporting Act; Shannon said reports are not prepared.

Animal Control in Choctaw County

Choctaw County has no animal control services — neither in the unincorporated area nor in the municipalities of Butler, Gilbertown, Lisman, Needham, Pennington, Silas, or Toxey. For assistance, contact the Choctaw County Sheriff’s Office at 205-459-2166.

We offer this guidance to residents and advocates who need help or who would like the county and municipalities to offer animal services.

Dog Confinement Requirements in Choctaw County

County Adoption of Alabama’s Dog Confinement Statute: Dog confinement is not required in unincorporated Choctaw County because the Choctaw County Commission has not adopted Alabama Code § 3-1-5, which would require that dogs be confined to the owner’s premises or kept in the charge of a responsible person if off-premises. There are still steps you can take to address issues or to encourage the county to require confinement.

Dog Confinement Requirements Within Corporate Limits & Police Jurisdiction:

• Dog confinement is required by ordinance in Butler (§ 4-79).
• There may be no requirement in Gilbertown, Lisman, Needham, Pennington, Silas, or Toxey. These municipalities do not appear to share their ordinances on their websites or via Municode and 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 Choctaw County

• Choctaw Paws is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that helps Choctaw County residents who need their cat or dog sterilized. Visit the Choctaw Paws Facebook page or call Kim Edwards at 205-742-8552, Anne Brownlee at 334-341-9603, or Lisa Walters at 205-604-9258.
• See Low-Cost Spay/Neuter in Alabama for additional resources.

Access to Information & Public Records in Choctaw County

The Choctaw County website does not mention the shelter or animal topics— a search for “animal” yields no results. Neither did we find any information about the shelter or animal topics on the website of any of the municipalities. We recommend that the county and municipalities communicate with their citizens about the shelter and how they can get help regarding animal welfare concerns. Several websites included listings about the police department, water, and even local businesses, for example, but were silent when it came to animals.

Choctaw County Documents

The Choctaw County Commission does not appear to have a Public Records Request form on their website. Call the Commission to request a form or submit according to the Open Records Act template.

Sources

• Jessica Hare, Choctaw County Administrator, 205-459-6956, provided shelter and animal control information to Aubrie Kavanaugh on April 24, 2025.
• Vicki, Choctaw County Sheriff’s Office, stated on a Mar. 28, 2025 call with Kristin Yarbrough that Choctaw County had not adopted Alabama Code § 3-1-5.
• Shannon Mosley, Director, Choctaw County Animal Shelter, shared information about the shelter and animal control to Kristin Yarbrough on Feb. 9, 2026.
• Vonda Webb, Butler City Clerk, 205-459-3795, stated on a Feb. 6, 2026 call with Kristin Yarbrough that Butler has no animal control. Vonda did not know whether residents could bring found pets to the shelter.

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