Animal Services in Marshall County

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Impoundment Facilities or Shelters in Marshall County

Marshall County Animal Control is operated directly by the Marshall County Commission and operated by Jamika Ibsen and Cherokee Copeland. All animals are sterilized prior to adoption, according to Ashleigh Bubbett. The facility’s Animal Census reports are linked below.

Marshall County’s animal shelter SOP includes a provision that any animal not placed in 60 days will be destroyed. The policy was adopted in March 2023 after months of offsite dog boarding — unchecked spending that cost the county over $110,000 in a 16-month period. Efforts by local advocates to have the policy modified to make it conditional failed.

A nonprofit no-kill shelter for dogs, Second Chance is the location being used by the City of Albertville to board dogs for the property hold period, and to offer adoptions of unclaimed and surrendered dogs. Since Second Chance does not accept cats, if the city impounds a cat, they seek a placement by the end of the day.

The City of Arab Animal Shelter is not currently open to the public due to storm damage that rendered the building unsafe, though ACO Hunter Whisenant is at the shelter Monday through Friday. The city plans to bulldoze the old structure and build a new facility on the same foundation. Adoption events are posted on the Arab Police Department Facebook page.

Animal Control & Cruelty Investigation in Marshall County

Animal Control in Unincorporated Areas of Marshall County: For assistance with animal concerns, call the at Marshall County Sheriff’s Office at 256-582-2034. In a new arrangement that began in March 2026, an Animal Control Investigator and assistant, are the responding officers for animal-related concerns, including dogs at large, loose livestock, cruelty, neglect, abandonment, theft, and attacks. The changes were reported by Ryan Fay of WHNT on Mar. 2, 2026.

Animal Control Within Corporate Limits & Police Jurisdiction:

• Albertville: For assistance from Albertville Animal Control, call Albertville Police Department’s 24/7 nonemergency line at 256-878-1212. ACO Tommy Rainwater began his service in early 2026 and will be joined by ACO Cooper Hughes upon Cooper’s return to the Animal Control division. Dogs found or seized in Albertville are held at Second Chance Shelter.
• Arab: Hunter Whisenant serves as Arab’s animal control officer. For assistance with animal concerns, call 256-586-8124.
• Boaz: Kevin Burns is Boaz’s full time animal control officer, according to the city website. Call 256-593-6812 for assistance. Impounded pets are brought to Sand Mountain Small Animal Hospital and posted on Facebook.
• Cherokee Ridge: Animal services are provided through Marshall County, according to the town website. Call 256-582-2034.
• Douglas: The town website does not mention animal control. Contact Marshall County Sheriff’s Office at 256-582-2034 or call Town Hall to ask, 256-593-9531.
• Grant: Impoundment is handled by maintenance department personnel during business hours and police if after hours, Beverly said. Animals are held for a minimum of seven days at two kennels in the town’s maintenance shop, and notification is posted on the town website and on Facebook. If not reclaimed, pets are transferred to another location (possibly Guntersville Animal Hospital, as stated on the town website; Beverly wasn’t sure) to be offered for adoption.
• Guntersville: The city employs a full time animal control officer, according to the city website. Call 256-571-7571 for assistance. Impounded pets are brought to Guntersville Animal Hospital, which also handles adoptions.
• Union Grove: Facebook posts suggest that Marshall County covers Union Grove. Call 256-582-2034.

Dog Bite Reporting

If someone is bitten by a dog in Marshall County and seeks medical care, the medical provider is required to report that information to the Health Department. Reports to the Marshall County Health Department are referred to Lyn Sisco in the Environmental Division of the Jackson County Health Department, per Justin Thompson, also of the Jackson County Health Department. Information is taken about the bite incident and a quarantine order is entered to comply with state law.

The Rabies Officer for Marshall County is Dr. Chuck Young at the Guntersville Animal Hospital. His role is reported limited to coordination of rabies clinics.

Dog Confinement Requirements in Marshall County

County Adoption of Alabama’s Dog Confinement Statute: Dog confinement is required in Marshall County because Marshall 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. The adoption was done in 2008 via Resolution.

Dog Confinement Requirements Within Corporate Limits & Police Jurisdiction:

• Dog confinement is required by ordinance in Arab (§ 3-6, § 3-15, 2017-1), Boaz (§ 6-26), Grant (§ 212), and Guntersville (§ 4-34).
• Allowing dogs to run at large is probably prohibited in Albertville, whether by ordinance and/or statute. We will be able to confirm when Albertville ordinances are made available.
• Dog confinement is required by statute in Douglas.
• Cherokee Ridge, and Union Grove are likely to require confinement by ordinance and/or statute.

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

Low-Cost Spay & Neuter and Other Assistance in Marshall County

• With the MCAA Voucher, a dog or cat spay or neuter, rabies vaccination, and microchip costs just $10. Available to Marshall County residents who receive government assistance or whose annual income is less than $37,600. Review the details and apply at Marshall County Animal Advocates.
• Albertville Animal Hospital participates in the ALVMF license plate program, which offers $10 cat sterilization or $20 dog sterilization for Medicaid recipients.
• For additional sterilization options and resources, see Low-Cost Spay/Neuter in Alabama.
• If you can bring your pet to another county for their surgery, see Animal Services in Madison County or Animal Services in Jefferson County.
• Arab Police Department administers a Paw it Forward fun to help those who cannot afford a run line or dog house.

Access to Information & Public Records in Marshall County

Marshall County Commission: Marshall County Commission’s in-person clause violates Alabama’s Open Records Law. After the Commission denied our Mar. 28, 2025 request for documentation of Marshall County’s adoption of Alabama Code § 3-1-5, we sent a new request on Apr. 7 that included an attorney’s challenge of the in-person clause. There was no response within the acknowledgement period. Ashleigh Bubbett emailed the record upon our Apr. 21 follow-up.

Albertville City Hall & Police Department: City Clerk Dawn Smith has offered ongoing friendly communication in 2025 and 2026 regarding the Albertville Animal Ordinance and ACOs. We initially requested the ordinance in June 2025; Dawn Smith replied, “We are currently going through a recodification process and that is one of the areas under review.” On a Jan. 28, 2026 check-in, Dawn emailed: “We are still tracking to have our first edit in the next several weeks.” In February 2026, Assistant Chief John Amos generously emailed with an update on Albertville Animal Control staffing.

Marshall County Documents

• Marshall County Animal Shelter SOP
• Marshall County Animal Control Data: 2025 and 2023–2024
• Marshall County Commission Public Records Request Form (also accessible from Commission website: lower left column under “Public Forms”)
• Albertville Public Records Request Form

Sources & Contact Information

• Justin Thompson, Jackson County Health Department, provided dog bite reporting information to Aubrie Kavanaugh in Feb. 2026.
• Ashleigh Bubbet, Marshall County Administrator, provided information about Marshall County animal services to Aubrie Kavanaugh in 2025. The Alabama Code § 3-1-5 adoption resolution, also, was provided by Ashleigh on Apr. 21, 2025; it is also posted at Marshall County Animal Control.
• Rhonda McCoy, Assistant to the Marshall County Commission Chairman, 256-571-7701 x3, initially refused a public records request.
• Christy Kelley, Marshall County Personnel Administrator, stated on Feb. 6, 2026 that the ACO position had not yet been filled.
• Kevin Hooks, then-Marshall County ACO, did not return voicemails left on Mar. 26 and Mar. 28, 2025 by Kristin Yarbrough during Alabama Code § 3-1-5 research.
• Dawn Smith, Albertville Town Clerk, 256-891-8200, dawnsmith@cityofalbertville.com, has been in touch multiple times in 2025 and 2026 with friendly updates about Albertville’s recodification project and ACOs.
• Assistant Chief John Amos, Albertville Police Department, updated us on Feb. 9, 2026 about the new Albertville ACO and Cooper Hughes’ expected return.
• Chief of Police Shane Washburn, Arab Police Department, spoke to Aubrie Kavanaugh on Oct. 23, 2025, regarding enforcement of animal ordinances and statutes. Information from this conversation is included at Enforcement.
• Laurie Sampson, Douglas Town Clerk, said on July 10, 2025 that the town has no animal control ordinance or dog-related ordinance.
• Beverly, Grant Town Hall, 256-728-2007, provided animal control information on an Oct. 1, 2025 phone call.

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