Animal Services in Shelby County

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Animal Control in Shelby Co.

Alabama requires local governments to pick up and impound loose dogs. Animal Control Officers (ACOs) also respond to reports related to dogs and cats.

Although ACOs may investigate cruelty or address municipal code violations, most Alabama ACOs are civilians who do not have law enforcement authority. The sheriff’s office and local PDs are responsible for the enforcement of cruelty laws.

Shelby Co. Animal Services At-a-Glance

Report animal concerns or violations according to the location, as noted below. For more information about animal control and enforcement of animal laws, or if your concern is not being addressed, see this guidance.

Thanks to ACO Samantha Kusiak for providing pound and ACO information!

Birmingham or Vestavia Hills: See Jefferson Co.
[Add’l Notes: County population figure includes municipalities. Calera is partly in Chilton Co. Helena and Hoover are partly in Jeffco. Leeds is partly in Jeffco and St. Clair Co. Vincent is partly in St. Clair and Talladega counties.]

Dog Confinement is Required in Shelby Co.

The applicable law varies by location, as indicated in the right column above. See Dog Confinement Laws in Alabama for more info.

• Rabies tag required: Off-premises dogs must be picked up and impounded if they are not wearing a current rabies tag, per the statewide public safety protections in the Rabies Chapter of Alabama law (§ 3-7A).
• Dog confinement required: Some cities and counties require owners to keep dogs on their own premises. Residents who allow dogs to roam may be charged with a violation. Dog owners in all of Shelby Co. must confine dogs to their own premises, as required by city ordinances and § 3-1-5.

How to get help:

• Report a loose dog by following the instructions in the table.
• If you choose to assist a lost, stray, or abandoned pet, be aware of your rights and responsibilities.
• If your pet is lost, see these tips.

Shelby Co. Commission adopted Alabama Code § 3-1-5 in 1990 via Resolution 90-8-27-15. In response to a report of a violation, the Commission mails the stated dog owner a letter (which inaccurately refers to leashing; the statute does not require leashing). If the owner continues to allow the dog to run at large, the complainant may press charges. This procedure is stated in the AC policy.

Shelby County does not impound loose dogs unless the dog is not wearing a current rabies tag — this is per the recommendation of the county attorney (see the AC policy) and is stated at Regulations & Controls.

Impoundment Facilities & Shelters

Shelby Humane Society is the contracted impoundment facility for Shelby County. Penny Kakoliris has served as executive director since mid-August 2026, per ABC33/40, following the retirement of Saundra Ivey.

A nonprofit organization holding county and municipal contracts, Shelby Humane Society (SHS) receives a combination of government and private funds. As of April 2025, SHS’s proposed $2,242,356 budget for FY 2025–26 was to be funded through:

• $360,000/yr from Shelby County
• $25,000/yr from the City of Hoover
• donations & grants

SHS’s government-contracted intake is from animals picked up in the unincorporated area and some municipalities. Following a seven-day Stray Hold, ownership of remaining animals is transferred to SHS and those animals are offered for adoption or rescue. Spay/Neuter is performed by several contracted vets including Alabama Spay Neuter; ownership is transferred to the adopter only after the pet is sterilized.

Shelter staff cares for around 600 animals at any given time, then-Director Saundra Ivey told CBS42 in September 2025. It is unclear why so many animals would be boarded at once in a government facility.

Shelby Humane Animal Census

Source: Shelby Humane Society Animal Census Reports.
YTD’26 = January through July.
Live Release Rate (LRR) = Live Outcomes ÷ Total Outcomes.

A substantial difference between Intake and Outcome totals suggests flawed or missing data and is indicated in Missing Outcomes, Adj. Total Outcomes, and in the LRR — pending accounting from the shelter.

Low-Cost Spay & Neuter in Shelby County

• Fix-A-Bull offers $20 spay/neuter for pit bulls and pit mixes owned by county residents. Contact Shelby Humane.
• Cahaba Spay & Neuter in Pelham offers low prices to all and also accepts the Alabama Adoption Society and Friends of Cats & Dogs Foundation certificates which can lower the price further.
• Shelby Humane’s Shelby Spay/Neuter program offers $25 pet sterilization to county residents with a household member on a qualifying assistance program. Call or text Peggy Cropp at 205-243-9946.
• Alabama Spay Neuter, a non-profit clinic specializing in sterilization, offers pet transportation from Shelby County (Heardmont Park).
• See Low-Cost Spay/Neuter in Alabama and Jefferson County for additional options.

Cat TNR & Fostering

• Animal Shelter Veterinarians (ASV), also referred to as GBHS Spay/Neuter & Critical Care Clinic, provides free sterilization of community cats by appointment. Call 205-898-7812 or 205-982-6801. The clinic is located at 5220 Princeton Way in Hoover.
• The nonprofit Country Cattery assists with feral and friendly community cats — including TNR (trap, neuter, return), vet care, foster programs, and adoption — in Jefferson, Chilton, Shelby, and St. Clair counties. TNR ensures the health and stability of the colony by trapping the cats so they can be sterilized, ear-tipped (for identification), vaccinated, and have any health needs attended to prior to returning to their home. If you have noticed a cat colony, contact the Country Cattery via email or through Facebook.

Assistance with Vet Bills

The Sugarbelle Foundation (Fb) helps financially-struggling families with vet care, temporary fostering, training, pet food, and supplies in accordance with their mission to keep people and pets together.

Dog Bites & Attacks in Shelby Co.

To have knowledge of a bite or scratch and fail to report it is a crime (§ 3-7A-9). First seek medical attention; then report as soon as possible to:

• Shelby County Health Department at 205-664-2470, and
• Law Enforcement: Shelby Co. Sheriff’s Office at 205-670-6000, or your local police department.

See Dog Bites & Attacks for more information on reporting, quarantine, criminal charging, and legal implications.

Documents & Sources

Documents:

• Shelby Humane Census Data is shared on the shelter website.
• Shelby County Commission Public Records Request Form is posted on the County website.
• Other Animal Control docs: AC policy, Resolution 90-8-27-15 to adopt Alabama Code § 3-1-5

Sources:

• Sept. 13, 2026: Samantha Kusiak, Shelby Co. ACO, saved us hours of research in September 2026 by filling in via Messenger questions of municipal animal control and impoundment facility use, including that Shelby Co. Animal Control serves Chelsea, Harpersville, Vincent, Westover, Wilsonville, and Wilton (and also unincorporated areas of Alabaster, Calera, Helena, and Montevallo); and that Shelby Humane is the impoundment facility for Alabaster, Columbiana, Harpersville, Hoover (after Stray Hold), Indian Springs Village, Leeds, Vincent, Westover, Wilsonville, and Wilton. Samantha also shared inforamtion via Messenger on Dec. 16, 2025.
• Sept. 10, 20216: Chelsea Fire Marshal and Code Enforcement Officer Tommy King, 205-678-6060, showed his care and dedication in on our call on Sept. 10, 2026. He said requests with animal concerns must be first directed to the City (as noted above). If an animal’s owner cannot be identified, Shelby Co. AC is called out to scan for a microchip (Tommy will be checking into getting a free scanner from AKC so city staff do not have to jump through these extra hoops!). If the owner is still unidentifiable, the animal is brought to SHS. Although the city ordinance discusses only dogs, Tommy confirmed that cats can be picked up too. We also discussed determination of ownership: Tommy said that the county sometimes turns down stray, lost, or abandoned animals if the good Samaritan fed the animal for a certain number of days prior to calling for help. We discussed that there is no legal basis for such a policy, and also, since neither the City of Chelsea nor Shelby Humane Society say anything about animal control on their websites, it may be hard to even figure out how to get help. Such a policy puts City staff, residents, and animals alike in a tough spot. Thanks to Shae Callahan, Assistant to the City Clerk, for the referral to Tommy.
• Sept. 9, 2026: Leeds animal control information is from Animal Services; however the page does not provide the impoundment location.
• Sept. 9, 2026: Pelham information is from Pelham Animal Control.
• Sept. 9, 2026: Montevallo information is from Montevallo Animal Control.
• Aug. 31, 2026: Operator 22 at Hoover Dispatch advised that loose animals are impounded at Vestavia Animal Clinic. Animals are held at Vestavia Animal Clinic for 3–7 days and then transferred to SHS to be offered for adoption, per Lost & Found.
• Aug. 31, 2026: A receptionist at Helena Police Department stated that animals picked up in Helena are held at “city kennels.” According to the website, the Street Department is tasked with animal control.
• Apr. 22, 2026: Rachel Cochran, VP of the Country Cattery, messaged with Kristin Yarbrough.
• Dec. 17, 2025: An officer at the Columbiana Police Department shared AC information with Kristin Yarbrough on Dec. 17, 2025.
• Apr. 29, 2025: Saundra Ivey, then-executive director of Shelby County Humane Society, 205-669-3916 x2016, provided animal services information to Kristin Yarbrough on Apr. 29, 2025. In addition to the information above, Saundra also spoke of needing a new building and asked about shelter design; we provided information prepared by Aubrey Kavanaugh.
• Jan. & Feb. 2025: Stefanie Knight, Office Administrator at Shelby County Commission, fulfilled two record requests within a single day in January and February 2025.

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