Animal Services in Lauderdale County
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191 Dogs Seized. Why Only 4 Criminal Charges?
See Paws4Change for possible explanations for the low number of charges, what would have constituted a felony offense, consequences of the choice of charging statement, and how Beau’s Law may affect similar cases when the law goes into effect in October.
MAY 11, 2026 — Lauderdale County arrested three people on four misdemeanor animal cruelty charges relating to the two-day seizure of 191 dogs in late March 2026 from their home in Central, Alabama. The owners had already surrendered 74 dogs over the course of the last year, and on approximately Apr. 16 they surrendered (relinquished ownership) of all but five of the 191 dogs that had been seized. The owners had bred and sold the dogs, which have been described as primarily “Doodles.”
Since animal cruelty charges are applied as one charge per affected animal, only four charges stemming from the 191-dog seizure raises major questions for Lauderdale County. If 191 dogs were in such poor condition — since seizure requires exigent circumstances:
- Why did evidence support only four cruelty charges?
- Why were defendants charged under the older general cruelty statute rather than the Pet Protection Act, considering that only the Pet Protection Act includes built-in recovery of costs?
- Does the absence of even misdemeanor charges for 187 of the 191 does suggest an overstepping of the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure?
- Would a judge order restitution related to 187 dogs for whom there were no charges, or will the cost of care fall on Lauderdale County taxpayers and on the nonprofit organizations lending their assistance? (The Times Daily reported as $42,975 for the first nine days alone. When we asked about this number not being reflected on census records, FLAS Director Cheryl Jones stated that “The Times Daily misunderstood the cost of care taxed to the owners vs the actual additional costs of caring for the animals.”)
- How many dogs’ lives were ended to make room for sudden intake of 150 dogs at Florence-Lauderdale Animal Services (FLAS) (plus at least 13 or 14 puppies born post-seizure) and 40 dogs at Colbert County Animal Shelter?
- How much staff and volunteer effort was diverted to care for dogs that may have been unnecessarily if not improperly seized?
- What was the rush to seize, at public expense, rather than continuing to work with the owners?
- Considering the several recent mass animal intakes, does FLAS have a shelter disaster response plan for situations involving large numbers of animals brought to the facility from a breeder (such as in this case), collector, dog fighter, or due to a natural disaster?
While these and other questions remain, Lauderdale County officials are to be commended for bringing criminal charges against the defendants, not only to hold the owners responsible for alleged cruelty but also because only with charges is it possible for a judge to order mental health counseling and a pet possession ban or limitation on the number of animals a person may own, as detailed at Animal Hoarding.
Impoundment Facilities or Shelters in Lauderdale County
Florence-Lauderdale Animal Services (FLAS)3240 Roberson Road, Florence, AL 35630
256-760-6676
cjones@florenceal.org
Florence-Lauderdale Animal Services is funded and operated by both Lauderdale County and the City of Florence, Jordan said. Cheryl Jones serves as director. FLAS opened in 2019 after six years of development, “replacing an outdated and cramped shelter built more than 30 years ago,” per WHNT.
Intake & Capacity: FLAS reported that 2,417 animals had been taken in during the first six months of 2026. intakes around 5,300 animals annually. The facility has a capacity of nearly 400 dogs and cats, according to WHNT, which is substantial for the 97,000 human population served by this shelter. (As a comparison, Huntsville Animal Services’ optimum capacity for dogs is about 75, and that shelter serves about 400,000 people.) Even with its large capacity, photos shared of hallways full of crated animals suggest that FLAS’ capacity is at times exceeded.
Livestock, Too: In addition to dogs, cats, and small companion animals such as rabbits and hamsters, the shelter intakes horses and cattle which can graze on a 16 acre pasture, WHNT reported. In Jan. 2026, when the shelter was housing over a dozen pigs and piglets and in need of more barn capacity, Friends of Florence-Lauderdale Animal Services raised $475 to construct a separate enclosure.
- Stray Hold is 7 days.
- Spay/Neuter is done prior to release to adopter for older pets; for younger pets, adopters agree to have the animal sterilized and costs are included in the adoption fee. (Jordan said some area vets require pets to be 6 months old.)
- Animal Census Reports for 2026, for 2025, and for 2019–2022. On the 2026 data, the Stray category tracks animals brought in by the public; the Animal Control category tracks animals brought in by ACOs, per FLAS Director Cheryl Jones.
Observations about FLAS census data for Jan–June 2026:
- The shelter accepts large numbers of owner surrenders, even though the shelter has no obligation to do so.
- The number of strays brought in by the public is astronomical (250 dogs in June 2026, for example), while the number of animals brought in by animal control is negligible.
- FLAS relies on transfer to rescue for most of their positive outcomes, which suggests the opportunity for greater engagement with the community.
- Reclaims by owner are low (this can increase through simple measures).
- Dogs are being euthanized for “overcrowding.”
- Cats are being euthanized for “behavior,” while FLAS apparently has no TNR program.
Veterinary Clinic Planned: An on-site veterinary clinic has been years in the making, according to an Oct. 2025 WHNT article and TV segment. The clinic had recently been awarded non-profit status. Florence Councilmember Chapel King told WHNT that fundraising was underway to secure a building nearby at which to estabish the clinic. Florence-Lauderdale Animal Services intends to utilize the clinic for intake vetting, sterilization, and vaccination, according to July 2025 reporting by Aria Pons for WAFF.
Animal Control in Lauderdale County
The City of Florence handles the dispatch of animal control officers for all of Lauderdale County. In addition to daytime availability, typically one officer is on call each night for emergencies. For assistance, call 256-760-6610.
Dog Confinement Requirements in Lauderdale County
Dog confinement is required in Lauderdale County because the Lauderdale 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.
Dog Confinement Requirements Within Corporate Limits & Police Jurisdiction:
- Dog confinement is required by ordinance in Florence (§ 4-80).
- Dog confinement is almost certainly required by ordinance and/or statute in Anderson, Killen, Lexington, Rogersville, St. Florian, Waterloo.
How to Report: See How to Report an At-Large Violation.
Low-Cost Spay & Neuter in Lauderdale County
- Shoals PAWS (Fb) offers spay/neuter and TNR assistance to pet owners and community cat caretakers in Colbert, Franklin, and Lauderdale counties. PAWS also operates foster programs and offers puppies, dogs, kittens, and cats for adoption.
- Northwest Alabama Spay and Neuter Assistance (NASANA) (Fb) offers financial assistance for pet sterilization to residents of Colbert, Franklin, and Lauderdale counties who receive either food stamps or Medicaid. Fill out the application on their website.
- See Low-Cost Spay/Neuter in Alabama for additional resources.
Lauderdale County Documents
- Lauderdale County Alabama Code § 3-1-5 Adoption Resolution
- Animal Census: see above.
- County Commission Public Records Request Form: I did not find a form on the county website. Call the Commission to request or submit according to the Open Records Act template.
Sources
- Coty Hand, Assistant District Attorney, Lauderdale County District Attorney's Office, 256-284-7600, spoke about the Robertson-Hancock case with Kristin Yarbrough on May 12, 2026. FOX54's report that the defendants were charged under the Pet Protection Act was in error; per ADA Coty Hand in a phone call this afternoon, defendants were charged with § 13A-11-14.
- Cheryl Jones, Director of Animal Services, provided the Alabama Code § 3-1-5 adoption resolution on May 6, 2025, and provided the link to census data on July 16, 2026 and quickly replied to our request for clarification of a couple of the data points. Thank you, Cheryl!
- Jordan, front desk at Florence-Lauderdale Animal Services, provided shelter and animal control information on Apr. 25, 2025.
- Brooke Nichols-Slatton, County Administrator at Lauderdale County Commission: 256-760-5750 x7, did not respond to our Apr. 14, 2025 public records request within the acknowledgement period. After several follow-up attempts, Nichols-Slatton emailed on May 15 that she had searched the (apparently analog) records and concluded that the Commission had not adopted (actually, the Commission had adopted in 2004, as confirmed by Cheryl Jones; we emailed Brooke with a link to the resolution provided by Cheryl).
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