Animal Services in DeKalb County

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Impoundment Facilities or Shelters in DeKalb County

DeKalb County Animal Adoption Center serves all of DeKalb County, according to their Facebook page. DCAAC is managed by the DeKalb County Commission for the county and for the cities of Rainsville and Fort Payne which, due to having populations over 5,000, are required to contribute to operating costs. Leslie Ledbetter is the long-time director. Available dogs and cats are posted on Adopt a Pet and Facebook.

• Stray Hold is 7 days.
• Spay/Neuter is performed on all animals prior to adoption. Kittens and puppies are sterilized as young as two months of age. If the animal is not old enough or big enough, the adopter signs an agreement to have it done.
• Animal Census Reports are prepared monthly and posted on the front door of the shelter. Reports may also be requested from the Commission. The shelter also posts figures on their Facebook page, such as this post for March 2026.
• Owner Surrenders have been accepted on an open admittance policy and may be transition to managed intake, per a May 2026 conversation with a staff member, to encourage owners to seek a solution rather than enabling a cycle of surrender, acquire, surrender.

DCAAC staff are to be commended for their Facebook posts of adoptable animals, most of which include a descriptive biography, several cute and informative photos; the facility address, phone, and hours; and a link to the adoption application. Also great is that DCAAC are holding off-site adoption events and operating what posts suggest may be a robust foster program.

Animal Control in DeKalb County

Animal Control in Unincorporated Areas of DeKalb County: DeKalb County Commission employs one animal control officer. For general assistance, call DeKalb County Animal Adoption Center. If you suspect animal cruelty, report to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office animal cruelty investigators at 256-845-8532.

Animal Control Within Corporate Limits & Police Jurisdiction:

• Fort Payne Public Works Department includes one ACO. Call 256-845-5720.
• Rainsville has one ACO. Call City Hall at 256-638-6331 or Rainsville Police Department at 256-638-2157.
• For assistance in Henagar, Collinsville (also in Cherokee County), Crossville, Fyffe, Geraldine, Hammondville, Ider, Lakeview, Mentone, Pine Ridge, Powell, Sand Rock (mostly in Cherokee County), Shiloh, Sylvania, or Valley Head, call your city or town hall, police department, or the DeKalb County Animal Adoption Center.

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

Dog Confinement Requirements in DeKalb County

County Adoption of Alabama’s Dog Confinement Statute: Dog confinement is not required in unincorporated DeKalb County because the DeKalb 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 Collinsville (Ordinance 2012-06), Crossville (Ordinance 2009-09-08), Fyffe (per reports in the Times-Journaland WAFF), Henagar (Ordinance 2014-08-11), and Rainsville (Ordinance 5-23-13-A).
• Fort Payne has considered a confinement requirement, according to a Times-Journal reports in 2009 and 2017, but currently requires secure confinement only for dogs considered threatening or that have attacked (§ 6 25).
• Geraldine, Hammondville, Ider, Lakeview, Mentone, Pine Ridge, Powell, Sand Rock (mostly in Cherokee County), Shiloh, Sylvania, or Valley Head: It is unclear whether these municipalities require dog confinement. We were not able to locate any such ordinance. Please email us if you can share information.

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

Low-Cost Spay & Neuter in DeKalb County

• Paws for a Cause is a Friends of the DeKalb County Alabama Animal Shelter program that helps DeKalb County residents with pet sterilization costs. Apply online.
• Daisy Spay is a nonprofit organization offering low-cost spay and neuter for dogs.
• Let’s Fix DeKalb County Pets is another option for help with sterilization costs.
• Spay Neuter Jackson County Alabama welcomes DeKalb County residents to utilize the organization’s pet transportation to low-cost spay/neuter services.
• Chattaneuter is a low-cost spay/neuter clinic open to all.
• See Low-Cost Spay/Neuter in Alabama for additional resources.

Can you can provide spay/neuter information? Please email us.

DeKalb County Documents

DeKalb County and municipal governments might consider adding animal shelter and animal control information on their websites, just as they do for other departments and services. Only the City of Fort Payne website even mentioned animal control.

• DeKalb County Animal Adoption Center Animal Census Reports are posted on the front door of the shelter and on Facebook. Reports may also be requested from the Commission.
• DeKalb County Commission Public Records Request Form: The 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

• Dustin Dutton, trainer for DeKalb County Animal Adoption Center, shared information about the county shelter and about animal control in the county, Rainsville, and Fort Payne with Aubrie Kavanaugh in spring 2025. Dustin provided the information about the posting of shelter data to Kristin Yarbrough on June 6, 2025.
• Roger Byrd, who heads cruelty investigations for the county, provided Alabama Code § 3-1-5 information to Kristin Yarbrough on on a Mar. 27, 2025 phone call.
• DeKalb County Animal Adoption Center staff member conversed about owner surrender with Kristin Yarbrough via Messenger on May 12–13, 2026.

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