Alabama Counties & Cities Must Provide an Animal Shelter
A Pound & Impounding Officer are Required
Alabama Code § 3-7A-7 mandates that “Each county in the state shall provide a suitable county pound and impounding officer.” Additionally, every Alabama city with 5,000 or more residents must maintain a pound or pay a pro rata share toward the county pound.
Compliance with the requirement is documented at Animal Control & Pounds by County.
Many or most areas of Alabama have insufficient animal services. Some areas of Alabama have no animal services at all, even though the requirement to provide animal services originated in 1939 (if not earlier). Many counties and cities have no impoundment facility. Other areas may meet the requirement on paper, but their facility is too limited in capacity and/or staffing to meaningfully protect animal welfare or public safety.
This insufficiency of animal services has been allowed to continue for nearly a century in part because the state does not fund or enforce the mandate. Meanwhile, two rural counties have found innovative solutions, as shown next.
Affordable & Effective Shelter Facilities
Lawrence County Animal Shelter, shown above, offers an excellent example for the rural areas of Alabama where an animal shelter may seem out of reach. The 26-kennel facility can be scaled up or down to accommodate a range of needs and budgets.
Designed by Commissioner Bobby Burch, Lawrence County Animal Shelter was built for less than $100,000, including $85,000 from a government grant. A pole-barn construction with drains on the sides, the facility has barn curtains which can be lowered for protection from the elements or raised for fresh air. An overhead gas heater keeps the facility above 40°F when outside temperatures fall below freezing.
Hale County approached Auburn’s Rural Studio for assistance in the design and build of their animal shelter, according to Rural Studio's showcase of the Hale County Animal Shelter project. Students Jeff Bazzell, Julieta Collart, Lana Farkas, and Connely Farr designed and built the open-air structure, completing the proect in 2006. A heating system is incorporated into the concrete floor to keep animals warm during the winter, according to RuralSWAlabama.org. (Photo by Timothy Hursley.)
Additional shelter design and budgeting resources:
- Shelter Design from Humane World for Animals (formerly HSUS)
- Shelter Design Packet (PDF)
If Your Area Lacks Animal Services
Everyone should have an opportunity to reclaim a lost pet, no matter where in Alabama they live, even if there is no shelter. Good samaritans should be able to help an animal without being required to pay an impoundment fee for an animal they do not own, without being charged with theft of property, and without being told their only choice is to keep the animal.
Shelters that refuse to impound dogs found running at large or that require a fee are promoting abandonment (which is illegal when done by the public) and are failing in their public safety mission.
If your area has no animal control officer and no animal shelter, contact the office of the law enforcement official in charge (i.e., the sheriff or chief of police) to ask how you can get help. You can also speak to your county commissioner or your city or town councilmember so they know what is happening.
Laws Governing Animal Shelter Practices
- Impoundment facilities and shelters are required to report monthly on intakes, outcomes, and operational costs, per §§ 3-10, the Animal Census Reporting Act. See Animal Census Reports for details, examples, and how to request records.
- Animal Shelter Laws describes conditions for impoundment and seizure of animals, “stray hold,” reclaiming of pets by their families, and sterilization of adopted animals.