Animal Services in Talladega County

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Talladega County Lacks a Suitable County Pound

Talladega County Commission and the City of Sylacauga entered a contract in August 2024 for Sylacauga “to provide an animal shelter for [Talladega] County in the 3-mile unincorporated area immediately adjacent to the City of Sylacauga,” according to Talladega County Commission meeting minutes. “The city will also accept domestic animals that are delivered to the shelter from the adjacent unincorporated area. The County will pay the City of Sylacauga $20,000 per year in return for these stated services.”

While this arrangement is a beginning step towards fulfillment of the state requirement, until more comprensive services are provided, Talladega 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.” This is because:

Talladega County has no impoundment facility for the majority of the county, due to the contract’s limited range.
Talladega County contributes to Sylacauga Animal Shelter at a rate far below the county’s pro rata share of costs.
Talladega County provides no animal control.

A Long-Term Problem: For decades, residents have appealed to Talladega County and its municipalities to address the lack of animal services, including in August and September 2025. “Concerned residents urged the Talladega County Commission to take action on the county’s growing stray animal problem,” Laci Braswell reported in The Daily Home. Addressing Commissioners, Rebecca House described daily Facebook posts by good Samaritans seeking assistance with stray dogs. “The question is always ‘Where can I take these dogs?’ The short answer is nowhere,” House said, adding that Talladega County officials resorted to recommending residents to commit animal cruelty: “When we contacted the county, someone told us to shoot the dogs.” Jennifer Lacey of Talladega County Commission told us that residents are instructed to shoot only if they felt the need to defend.

County Commission’s Statements:

Talladega County Commissioner Tony Haynes remarked in August 2025 that the county did not have the money to improve the situation. “We only have x amount of tax dollars to spend and no one wants to pay higher taxes,” Hayes said.
Jennifer Lacey of Talladega County Commission told us in April 2025 that the Commission was “trying to come up with a solution for the north end of the county,” which has no animal services at all. At their May 21, 2026 council meeting Sylacauga officials again acknowledged the need for county-wide coordination of animal services.

Impoundment Facilities or Shelters in Talladega County

Sylacauga Animal Shelter
1212 Wynette Rd, Sylacauga, AL
256-391-4142
shelter@sylacaugaal.gov
Facebook

Sylacauga Animal Shelter is operated by the City of Sylacauga, according to Jennifer Lacey of Talladega County Commission. The shelter is managed by Stephanie Engle with Trish Smith assisting.

Staffing: “Our staff to animal ratio is brutal and despite my effort to change that, it has been denied thus far,” per Stephanie Engle, shelter manager. “We are a total team of five people. Between scheduled time off days, various appointments, or call-offs, we average (3) workers/day.”

Budget: The City of Sylacauga allocates “close to half a million dollars per year” to Sylacauga Animal Shelter. Talladega County contributes $20,000 per year, according to councilmembers at the May 6, 2026 Sylacauga council meeting (at 1:18:11) and Talladega County Commission meeting minutes.

Impoundment Jurisdiction: Sylacauga Animal Shelter accepts animals found within City of Sylacauga police jurisdiction, which includes “the 3-mile unincorporated area immediately adjacent to the City of Sylacauga,” as stated above and as defined in Alabama Code § 11-40-10. We have requested the county contract as well as any contracts between Sylacauga and Lincoln, Oxford, or the City of Talladega.

Acceptance of Found Animals from Residents: Residents can bring dogs or cats to the shelter for impoundment, but only on the rare occasion that space is available, according to a shelter representative, and only if the animal is found within the contract’s range. That said, SAC data shows a very large number of stray or at-large animals accepted from the public: 294 animals in 2025 and 537 animals in 2024.

Shelter Programs: Sylacauga Animal Shelter welcomes volunteers most Saturdays anytime between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. for dog walking events; dates are posted on Facebook. The shelter has also “increased our rescue network, grown our donor base, and reached out to schools and other interested parties to illuminate the plight of unwanted animals in our county and the associated costs on several levels,” per Stephanie Engle, shelter manager.

Municipal Compliance with State Law: With populations above 5,000, Lincoln, Oxford, Sylacauga, and the City of Talladega also have a statutory mandate to “maintain a suitable pound or contribute their pro rata share to the staffing and upkeep of the county pound.” (Childersburg population was recorded at just below 5,000 at the 2020 census.) Sylacauga is fulfilling the state’s requirement. We do not know whether Lincoln, Oxford, and/or the City of Talladega comply with state law.

Animal Control in Talladega County

There is no animal control in the unincorporated area of Talladega County, according to Jennifer Lacey of Talladega County Commission, and most county residents cannot bring loose animals to the shelter themselves due to the limited impoundment range. Animal concerns are the responsibility of Talladega County Sheriff’s Office. Call 256-362-2748 (Talladega office) or 256-245-5121 (Sylacauga office).

Talladega County used to contract with the City of Talladega for animal control services, but the agreement ended “due to a lack of agency cooperation,” Lacey said in April 2025.

Sylacauga Council Weighs ‘Dispatch’ of Loose Dogs

Following years of “kicking the can down the road” of loose dogs along the city’s Highway 280 corridor, on May 5, 2026, Mayor Matt Hubbard and Police Chief Rondell Muse surprised councilmembers and outraged constituents with their last-minute agenda addition to “hunt” the 12–15 dogs. The archaic, inhumane, and legally dubious proposal was met with public outrage and national coverage by advocate Nathan Winograd. We have extensively documented the situation at Sylacauga Council Weighs ‘Dispatch’ of Loose Dogs.

Animal Control Within Corporate Limits & Police Jurisdiction:

For assistance in Childersburg, call Central Dispatch at 256-761-1556 x8. Animal Control is a division of Childerburg Police Department. Impounded dogs are posted on the Childersburg Code Enforcement / Animal Control Facebook page.
Lincoln is served by ACO Tiffany Dickie at Lincoln Police Department’s Animal Control Division: 256-761-1556 x8.
Animal control in Oxford appears to be the responsibility of the Police Department. Call 256-831-3121.
Sylacauga ACO Brandon Gerrins, a military veteran and Sylacauga native, began his service as Sylacauga ACO in December 2025, according to a Facebook post from Sylacauga Animal Shelter. For assistance, call the Sylacauga Animal Shelter. The police department is responsible animal law enforcement and the handling “vicious” dogs, per WBRC.
In the City of Talladega, call Talladega Animal Control at 256-362-5856. Talladega Animal Control is a private company that contracts with the city. Announcements and adopted animals are shared on the Talladega Animal Control Facebook page.
Alpine, Sycamore, Fayetteville, Munford, and Renfroe have no animal services — no ACO and no impoundment facility — per Mitzi Martin. For assistance with animal crimes, contact the police department or the Talladega County Sheriff’s Office or ask for help from town officials.

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

Dog Confinement Requirements in Talladega County

Dog confinement is not required in unincorporated Talladega County because the Talladega 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 Lincoln (2010-16), Oxford (§ 6-70), Sylacauga (§ 4-24), and Talladega (Ordinance 1799). In Talladega, confinement must be indoors or in a fenced enclosure. Tethers, ropes, and chains are prohibited by Ordinance 1901.
Childersburg, Bon Air, Munford, Oak Grove, Talladega Springs, Vincent (also in Shelby County & St. Clair County), Waldo: No animal control ordinance appears to be posted on the the website of these municipalities or via Municode. Please email us if you can share information.

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

Low-Cost Spay & Neuter in Talladega County

Sylacauga “has started a spay/neuter clinic for residents,” per Mayor Matt Hubbard via WVTM on May 12, 2026. Please email us if you can share information.
In 2025, Talladega County supported The Feral Dogs of Avondale Mill with a $25,000 grant which enables the organization to hold $30 sterilization voucher sales and to sterilize strays at no cost to the neighborhood, according to board member Mitzi Martin. Martin hopes the grant will be awarded again and added that with more funding, the organization would be able to sterilize more strays.
Pet transportation is available from Sylacauga to Alabama Spay Neuter in Irondale. Financial assistance is also available.
See Low-Cost Spay/Neuter in Alabama and Low-Cost Spay/Neuter in St. Clair County for additional resources.

Talladega County Documents

Sylacauga Animal Shelter Animal Census Reports for 2025 and 2024, provided by SAC Manager Stephanie Engle and transferred to NFHS forms by AlabamaAnimalAdvocates.com.
Talladega County Commission Public Records Request Form: Talladega County does not appear to have a Public Records Request form on their website. Call the Commission to request or submit according to the Open Records Act template.
City of Talladega Public Records Request Form

Sources & Details

History of Animal Control in Sylacauga: Sylacauga has technically had an ACO position for years, however there have been significant gaps in coverage. Current ACO Brandon Gerrins began in December 2025. The position was empty for approximately 6-9 months, Mitzi Martin estimated, since the resignation of previous ACO Douglas Nixon. There was another huge gap before the city hired Nixon, Mitzi said. Animal control is currently structured under the shelter; prior to Nixon it was the responsibility of the police department. WBRC reported that the police department transferred impoundment responsibilities to the shelter in August 2024.

Other sources:

Stephanie Engle, Manager, Sylacauga Animal Shelter, 256-391-4142, sengle@sylacaugaal.gov, provided staffing information, programs, and shelter data via email to Kristin Yarbrough on May 28, 2026.
Jennifer Lacey, Commission secretary, 256-362-1357, stated on Mar. 25, 2025 that the Commission has not adopted Alabama Code § 3-1-5. On Apr. 29, 2025, Lacey offered information about Talladega County’s contract with Sylacauga and the lack of animal control. We spoke again on Aug. 28, 2025 regarding the impoundment range.
Mitzi Martin, Feral Dogs of Avondale Mill board member, has been instrumental in keeping us updated about animal resources in Sylacauga and in Talladega County. In May 2026, Martin provided the history of Sylacauga animal control information recorded just above. We also conversed at length about the city council’s consideration of the Green Landscaping proposal. Mitzi shared information on Facebook on Aug. 28, 2025 about the Sylacauga Animal Shelter’s impoundment zone, as noted above. We thank Martin also for advising in Jan. 2026 that Sylacauga had hired an ACO in Dec. 2025.
A Sylacauga Animal Shelter representative stated via Facebook Messenger on Aug. 15, 2025 that “Our animal control services Talladega county up to 5 miles outside our city limit. We take strays when we have available space.” A question about funding sources was not answered.
An unidentified representative stated Talladega Animal Control is a private company handles animal control for the City of Talladega. The company also provided animal control for Talladega County until the contract ended in August 2024 and the Talladega County Commission did not renew.

Other information was sourced from websites, as linked.

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