Animal Census Reports in Alabama
Monthly Animal Shelter Reports are Required
Impoundment facilities and shelters in Alabama are required to report monthly on animal intakes, outcomes, and other data, per the Animal Census Reporting Act of 2015, Alabama Code § 3-10-1 et seq. The Animal Census Reporting Act is the only shelter accountability measure required by the State of Alabama.
The specific information to be included is delineated in § 3-10-3:
- Intake of stray animals, owner surrenders, animal control, transfer from other animal shelters, and other intake sources.
- Outcomes via adoption, reclaim by owner, transfer to rescue or another facility, euthanasia, and (lost or) died from other causes. The Euthanasia tally must be subcategorized by stated reason for ending the animal’s life: overcrowding, health, or behavior.
- Number of animals sterilized after arrival.
- Costs incurred by the facility for “housing, maintenance, feeding, medications, transfer, euthanasia, and other expenses related to the care of the animals and their disposition, excluding salary and benefits paid to employees.”
Each report is due 30 days from the end of the month and must be maintained for at least three years, per § 3-10-4.
Why Data Matters
- Accountability for the use of taxpayer dollars related to animals.
- Planning: to identify and address trends (such as increases in year-over-year intake) and to budget.
- Effectiveness: if we know that far more adoptions occur on evenings and weekends, public shelter hours can be shifted and adoption events can be scheduled accordigly.
- Identifying Opportunities: if cats are being euthanized, we can instead utilize TNR (which is also effective, unlike catch-and-kill), encourage the adoption of barn cats, and start or collaborate with a nonprofit on a neonatal kitten fostering program.
The State of Shelter Reporting in Alabama
Who is responsible for shelter operation? Government impoundment facilities are the responsibility of counties and cities, who either run them directly or contract their operation to a third party. Public charity shelters are the responsibility for their governing boards.
Responsible parties should be reviewing reports, but are they? Shelter directors and staff and their their supervisory governments and boards have a direct interest and responsibility to regular reviewing Census Reports. Many or most do not. We have found that many officials and some shelter directors have not even heard of the Census Reporting Act and are neither collecting nor reviewing data.
Claims about Alabama shelter data are not reliable. We frequently see claims such as how many animals die in Alabama shelters each year or how Alabama shelters compare to other states. Such claims are broad estimates, at best. There simply is not data to support them. There is no agency in Alabama that oversees animal shelters or that collects data. Unlike other states, the Alabama Dept. of Agriculture exercises no direct oversight over companion animals, animal shelters or rescue groups.
Transparency is lacking. A handful of Alabama shelters proactively share their Census Reports. They are included in the Alabama shelter data linked below. We support the open sharing of full Census Reports (including not only positive outcomes, but also fatalities) on websites and on social media.For every other pound and shelter, Census Reports can be requested via a public records request. The data we share, for example, has required many, many hours of requests and followup, and still represents only a small percentage of public facilities in the state.
A few shelters refuse to comply with state law. Some shelters do not comply with the Animal Census Reporting Act and/or publish manipulated or irreconcilable data. Although noncompliance is a violation of Alabama law, individuals cannot insist on compliance because the law was amended during the legislative process to remove any private right of action. The government officials that could insist on compliance have, in our experience, chosen not to.
GBHS & Clarke County Do Not Comply with State Law
These Alabama entities are currently noncompliant with the Animal Census Reporting Act and Open Records Act:
- Greater Birmingham Humane Society (GBHS), the contracted animal services provider for Jefferson County, St. Clair County (Pell City), Walker County, and many cities within these counties, ceased publishing animal intake and outcome data on their website some years ago and has not fulfilled public records requests nor have they provided data to the local government with which they contract. The most recent data that GBHS has provided was 2024, and former staff members have questioned its accuracy. See details at Animal Services in Jefferson County.
- Clarke County Commission & Clarke County Animal Shelter (CCAS) have also not provided records. We did not hear back from multiple attempts to contact CCAS. Administrator Christy Roberts stated that the Commission does not have and would not obtain the census record, even though the Commission is the records holder for their contracted animal shelter, even though the Commission contracts with the shelter and should be supervising its effectiveness, even though county taxpayers fund its operation, and even though census records are required by state law. See details at Animal Services in Clarke County.
The failure to provide census information means there is no accountability for use of taxpayer dollars related to animals and no way to effectively budget for that spending.
Alabama Animal Shelter Data
This list includes data that is shared publicly or that has been provided in response to our requests. To submit data, email us.
- Baldwin Co,:
- Bibb Co, Rabies Impoundment Facility tally (PDF) or monthly data (Excel) for Jan–Aug 2025.
- Blount Co, Animal Adoption Center data for 2022–2026.
- Chambers Co, Chattahoochee Humane Society 2025 data.
- Clarke Co, is noncompliant.
- Clay Co, 2025 data.
- Cullman Co, Animal Shelter data (PDF) for Jan–Aug 2025, with thanks to Michelle Miller.
- DeKalb Co, Animal Adoption Center posts reports on the front door of the shelter and on Facebook.
- Etowah Co,:
- Jefferson Co,: GBHS publishes only noncompliant reports.
- Houston Co, Wiregrass Pets Rescue & Adoption Center data.
- Lauderdale Co,: Florence-Lauderdale Animal Services
- Limestone Co, Athens City Animal Services data.
- Lee Co,: CARE Humane Society
- Madison Co, Huntsville Animal Services data. The live release rate at Huntsville Animal Services has consistently been one of the highest in the state, reaching 98% for dogs and 96% for cats in August 2025.
- Marshall Co, Marshall Co, Animal Control data.
- Mobile Co,:
- Montgomery Co, Humane Society data.
- Russell Co, | Phenix City Animal Shelter Animal Census (click “Monthly Report”).
- Shelby Co.: Shelby Humane
- Jefferson Co,: GBHS publishes only noncompliant reports.
- Talladega Co.: Sylacauga Animal Shelter
- Tuscaloosa Co, Metro Animal Shelter data (2020–2023).
- Walker Co, & City of Jasper: GBHS publishes only noncompliant reports.
If a facility reports surprisingly large numbers in the Lost or Died in Care, the most frequent explanation is that the facility had not been accurately tracking their animal outcomes, and no one can remember what happened to the animals weeks or months later when the discrepency was discovered.
How to Request Animal Shelter Data in Alabama
See the guide at Animal Census Requests.