Animal Services in Geneva County
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Geneva City Dog Owners Impacted by New Ordinance
CITY OF GENEVA, ALABAMA — Dog owners must pay over $250 should their dog be impounded in this southern Alabama city. The reclaim penalty, which increases to over $500 on the second occurence, is part of an ordinance enacted by the Geneva City Council on June 2, 2026, which also restricts dogs bearing the “appearance and characteristics” of pit bulls and Presa Canario dogs.
The new ordinance, which went into effect three months after the March 2026 attack on Geneva resident Sheila Pate by a neighbor’s dogs, tests Mayor David Hayes’ hypothesis that hitting dog owners in the pocketbook can prevent attacks. “I believe if we impose a stiff enough fine, we can stop some of it,” Geneva Mayor David Hayes said on Apr. 6.
The fines, which are substantially higher than typical reclaim fees across the state, raise questions of whether dogs will die because owners cannot afford to reclaim. Further, the ordinance tacks fines onto adoption fees, suggesting that adoption in the City of Geneva may go from scant — since available dogs are not posted and the city facility is not open to the public — to nonexistent.
In addition to the $250+ fees to reclaim an impounded dog, Geneva’s ordinance requires that dogs that look like pit bulls or mixes register the dog with the city clerk and show proof of a $100,000 liability insurance policy. The registration deadline is July 10, 2026, and then every July of subsequent years, per Geneva resident Donna Antolik, who stated on Facebook that she learned of the deadline from Pat at the city clerk’s office.
If an unregistered dog is discovered, the ordinance states the dog will be “disposed of” and the owner subject to a $500 file, plus court costs and potential jail time. The ordinance mentions no due process provisions for dog owners.
The ordinance also requires dogs that look like pit bulls or Presa Canarios be kept indoors in a locked house or other structure with windows closed, or in a locked pen or kennel outdoors. The owner may remove the dog from the home or kennel only with the dog muzzled and on a leash no longer than 4 ft.
Breed-discriminatory legislation has been shown to be ineffective:
- Mistaken Identity: 50% of dogs labeled as pit bulls lack DNA breed signatures of breeds commonly classified as pit bulls. The educated guesses of LEOs and ACOs have been shown to be wrong about 75% of the time.
- No Effect on Frequency or Severity of Attacks: Targeted dogs are not more likely to bite nor do they bite harder, and bans do not result in fewer bites.
- A Poor Use of Taxdollars: Enforcement is expensive, with no measurable impact on public safety.
How can local governments effectively protect public safety? By considering the factors that are associated with the vast majority of dog attack fatalities:
- Reduce Tethering, Chaining, and Caging, since resident dogs (as opposed to family pets) are by far most often involved in fatal attacks.
- Encourage & Improve Access to Low-Cost Sterilization, since a large percentage of dogs involved in fatalities are not spayed or neutered.
- Enforce Running at Large Prohibitions and Dangerous Dog Laws which regulate owners based on reported incidents and the history of the dog’s and owner’s behavior.
The ordinance reflects the second attempt of the Geneva City Council to legislate public safety. In 2021, following the death of 39-year-old Daniel Cade Jr. from injuries sustained in a dog attack on a Geneva road, the City of Geneva adopted its Dogs and Cats Ordinance which required that owners confine their dogs to their own premises. Geneva County continues to permit running at large.
For more on breed-discriminatory legislation, see the work of Paws4Change, Bronwen Dickey, Aubrie Kavanaugh, Nathan Winograd,and Deirdre Franklin.
Impoundment Facilities or Shelters in Geneva County
Geneva County Lacks a Suitable County Pound
With no county impoundment facility and no county animal control, Geneva County is failing to fulfill the statutory mandate of Alabama Code § 3-7A-7 that “Each county within the state shall provide a suitable county pound and impounding officer.”
Geneva County could meet the state requirement by contracting with the City of Geneva or a nonprofit organization for sheltering, boarding impounded animals with a vet or animal hospital, or operating their own shelter, as is done in many counties throughout Alabama. The founding and operation of an impoundment facility is possible even on the limited budgets of Alabama’s rural counties. See the example at An Affordable & Effective Shelter Facility.
Near the EMA facility in Geneva, Alabama
(Not open to the public)
334-684-6496
The City of Geneva’s impoundment facility serves the city only. It is operated by the Geneva Police Department and is located near the EMA facility, but is not open to the public, and the city does not share the address.
Impounded animals are not posted either, said ACO Kevin Carroll. Residents whose pet may have been impounded are asked to call ACO Carroll so that he can advise whether their pet is there, he said.
Geneva’s facility includes about 10 kennels, ACO Carroll said. The facility is primarily used for dogs. A small number of cats are also impounded, typically via trapping, Becky said, and the city works with a rescue group that accepts the cats.
Private Shelter in Geneva County
Titan’s Legacy Animal SanctuaryHartford, Alabama
Titan’s Legacy is a private 501c3 nonprofit rescue group and animal adoption agency. This organization is not contracted by any government and does not impound loose animals.
Animal Control in Geneva County
Animal Control in Unincorporated Areas of Geneva County: Geneva County employs no animal control officers. For assistance, contact the Geneva County Sheriff’s Office or the Geneva County Commission.
Animal Control Within Corporate Limits & Police Jurisdiction:
- ACO Kevin Carroll of the City of Geneva Police Department provides animal control services within the City of Geneva. To request assistance, call the Police Department at 334-684-6496.
- Hartford’s Animal Control Ordinance tasks the Hartford Police Department with animal control responsibilities. Call 334-588-2222.
- Taylor’s Animal Control Ordinance refers to an animal control officer or enforcement officer. Ask for assistance by calling City Hall at 334-677-5079.
- For help in Samson, Slocomb, Black, Coffee Springs, or Malvern, contact your police department or city hall.
If your ACO is unable to help or if your area has no animal services, see this guidance.
Dog Confinement Requirements in Geneva County
Dog confinement is not required in unincorporated Geneva County because the Geneva 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 City of Geneva (§ 6-66), Hartford (§ 1-13), and Taylor (§ 6).
- Samson appears to have no general animal ordinance. The only dog-related ordinance posted on the city website requires the confinement of pit bull-type dogs only.
- There may be no requirement in Slocomb, Black, Coffee Springs, or Malvern. We have not 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.
Dog Bites & Attacks
One woman was hospitalized and another arrested after a March 2026 dog attack in Geneva, Alabama. “I started backing up, and [the three dogs] started charging me,” Sheila Pate told Beyla Walker of WTVY on Mar. 13. The attack occurred 20 feet from Sheila Pate’s home as she departed for work, a route Pate had walked for seven years.
Geneva Police arrested Kenyatta Thompson on Apr. 12 for two misdemeanor violations of Emily’s Law (Control of Dangerous Dogs, Alabama Code §§ 3-6A), according to an Apr. 13 WTVY staff report. The pertinent section of the statute states:
(d) If a dog that has not been declared by a court to be dangerous, when unjustified, attacks and causes physical injury to a person, and the owner of the dog had prior knowledge of the dangerous propensities of the dog, yet demonstrated a reckless disregard of the propensities under the circumstances, the owner of the dog shall be guilty of a Class B misdemeanor.
If the severity of the attack rises to the level of “serious physical injury or death,” Emily’s Law provides for a Class C felony charge [§ 3-6A-5(b)]. Geneva Police Chief Pepper Mock said investigators were limited to a misdemeanor charge “because the injuries did not rise to the level considered serious,” according to the Apr. 13 WTVY report.
“Serious physical injury” is defined by Alabama Code § 13A-1-2:
(14) SERIOUS PHYSICAL INJURY. Physical injury which creates a substantial risk of death, or which causes serious and protracted disfigurement, protracted impairment of health, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily organ…
Conviction of either Emily’s Law charge would require that Thompson was aware of “dangerous propensities” and failed to take appropriate precautions. Chief Mock stated that “Thompson made comments indicating that she was aware her dogs posed a threat.”
The City of Geneva Dogs & Cats Ordinance requires that dogs be kept on the owner’s property, and also requires secure confinement or dogs considered “vicious.” It is unclear, though, whether the dog owner was charged for any violation of the city code.
At the Apr. 6 Geneva City Council meeting, residents aired frustrations about impoundment of loose dogs and responsibility for dog attacks, as reported by Katie Ring for WTVY on Apr. 8. “I believe if we impose a stiff enough fine, we can stop some of it,” Geneva Mayor David Hayes said after the discussion.
The sister of a March 2021 Geneva dog attack victim also spoke about the continued issues: “I believe, and my family believes, that the City of Geneva did not do all that they possibly could do… and it shows… that people in the local community are still being attacked,” Renee Watkins told Ring.
Watkins’ 39-year-old brother Daniel Cade Jr. died in March 2021, three weeks after he was attacked by a pack of dogs while walking down a road in Geneva, according to a 2021 WDHN report. The City of Geneva adopted the Dogs and Cats Ordinance two months later.
A young girl was killed south of Slocomb in Geneva County some years prior to Cade’s death, per Sheriff Tony Helms.
Following the March 2026 attack, once again Geneva City Council members discussed strengthening local ordinances, WTVY reported, and did so in June, as discussed above.
In the unincorporated area of Geneva County, Alabama, there is no dog confinement requirement because the Geneva County Commission has not adopted Alabama Code § 3-1-5 to prohibit owners from allowing dogs to run at large. Neighboring counties have not adopted the statute either, compounding the problem. Geneva County also has no animal control officers and no impoundment facility, in violation of Ala. Code § 3-7A-7’s mandate that “Each county within the state shall provide a suitable county pound and impounding officer.”
Low-Cost Spay & Neuter in Geneva County
Please see Low-Cost Spay & Neuter in Houston County for resources in Dothan, and Low-Cost Spay & Neuter in Alabama for other options and assistance programs that may be available to Geneva County residents. Can you can provide spay/neuter information? Please email us.
Geneva County Documents
- Geneva County Commission Public Records Request Form
- City of Geneva Public Records Request Form — Beware of what we consider unreasonable charges that discourage constituent awareness of city business, including the ordinances being considered which will affect constituents' daily lives. When we requested a dog ordinance currently under review by councilmembers, Kelli Calhoun required a $1/page printing or scanning fee for the 14-page document — even though the city should have had or easily been able to obtain the digital file, considering it was created by their city attorney. The choice to neither publicly post the draft ordinance nor make it freely available upon request suggest less-than-transparent intentions.
Sources
- ACO Kevin Carroll, City of Geneva Police Department, 334-684-6496, spoke with Aubrie Kavanaugh on May 6, 2025 about animal control and the impoundment facility, and with Kristin Yarbrough on May 27, 2026.
- Cindy Williams, Geneva County Administrator, stated on a Mar. 27, 2025 phone call with Kristin Yarbrough that Geneva County Commission has not adopted Alabama Code § 3-1-5.
- Becky, City of Geneva Police Department, 334-684-6496, spoke to Kristin Yarbrough on Apr. 7, 2026 about animal control and the kennels in the City of Geneva, and then left a message for City of Geneva ACO Kevin Carroll to provide further information (I did not hear back from ACO Carroll; though I was able to reach him the next month, as noted).
- Kelli Calhoun, Administrative Assistant, City of Geneva, 334-684-2485, stated on May 26, 2026 that she did not know the pound address or whether impounded animals are posted, instead referring to Cathy at the police department. She believed the dog ordinance draft has been tabled til the next meeting. Kelly also provided the city@genevaal.gov email address to which to send a public records request. However, the city required fees which we considered unreasonable. Upon being informed of the fees and policy by Kelli on May 28, we requested that the digital file be provided by the city attorney so that neither printing nor scanning would be necessary.
- Assistant to Jeff Gray, City Attorney, stated in May and June 2026 that the animal control ordinance drafted by Mr. Gray could not be provided.
- Cathy, City of Geneva Police Department, 334-684-6496, stated on May 27, 2026 that the City of Geneva Impoundment Facility is not open to the public and the address is not shared (though it is near the EMA facility). When asked where impounded animals are posted or how residents seek their pet, Cathy transferred the call to ACO Carroll.
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