Blount Animals | Alabama

Help for Pet Owners

Hazel chills under a bench in the backyard of the Blount County shelter. She and her brother Bo, thought to be Catahoula Leopard Dog and pit mix siblings, were both adopted in June 2024. Photo by Kristin Yarbrough.
Hazel chills under a bench in the backyard of the Blount County shelter. She and her brother Bo, thought to be Catahoula Leopard Dog and pit mix siblings, were both adopted in June 2024. Contributions reducd their adoption fee to $20 each, helping Hazel and Bo find homes.

If Your Pet is Lost or Stolen

See these critical tips to help you find your lost or stolen pet.

Be sure to visit the shelter right away and again every few days to check for your dog or cat. You can also check the shelter’s Facebook page for photos of impounded pets.

When the owner is known (such as through a currently registered microchip an ID tag, the Blount County shelter contacts the owner and then holds impounded adult animals for a 7-day ‘stray hold,’ in accordance with Alabama law, after which the animal may be adopted, released to a rescue, or destroyed. At-large pets impounded in municipal Oneonta are subject to a 2-day hold period; Blountsville’s hold period is 3 days when the owner can be notified.

Especially if you are near the edge of Blount County, be sure to check with the government shelter(s) in neighboring counties as well, since pets can roam upwards of 50 miles in a short time or a good samaritan may have brought your pet to a different shelter.

The reclaiming procedure depends on where your pet was impounded:

If your pet is found, consider these tips for keeping pets out of shelters, such as microchipping, a secure and inexpensive way to improve the odds of reuiniting with your lost pet. While collars can get caught or be removed, a microchip is a permanent identification so long as the owner’s contact information is kept current.

Assistance with Pet Food or Care

If you need help caring for your pet, the shelter and animal rescue organizations may be able to provide pet food, temporary fostering, spay or neuter, ideas for keeping your pet confined to your property, or other help with the situation you are facing. The goal is to keep you and your pet together. More tips are available at Keeping Pets Out of Shelters.

If You Must Re-Home Your Pet

If you are in the difficult situation in which it appears that you need to re-home a pet, extensive tips are available at Keeping Pets Out of Shelters.

Surrendering your pet to the shelter should be an absolute last resort. The Blount County shelter is not obligated to accepted owned animals and does so on a managed basis: requests are considered only when the shelter has space available. An appointment is required.

The confusion of losing you and their home, along with the stress of the shelter make it all the more difficult for your pet to be adopted from the shelter. If you have exhausted all other options, please facilitate the best possible outcome by sharing with the shelter everything you know about the animal, their preferences, behavior, and history. You can also contribute toward your pet’s adoption fee: by lowering the cost for potential adopters, you increase your pet’s chance of being welcomed into a new home.