Animal Services in Etowah County

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Impoundment Facilities or Shelters in Etowah County

If your pet is lost, remember to check with not only your local shelter or impoundment facility, but also those in neighboring cities and counties.

Etowah County Animal Shelter is operated by Etowah County Commission. Kacy Wiemann was named as director in March 2026, replacing Gracie Griggs. The shelter takes animals from unincorporated areas within the county as well as from cities with a population of less than 5,000, including Walnut Grove and areas of Altoona that are within Etowah County.

Of the $34.57 million Etowah County budget, the shelter receives 1.31% ($452,867) from which to fund “utilities, payroll, state retirement, benefits, food for animals cat litter vet care, vaccines, kennel cleaning supplies, animal control equiment, gas, tires, vehicle management, etc,” Lori Howell wrote.

Stray hold is 7 days. All of-age animals are sterilized prior to release to the adopter. Adopted puppies and kittens are to be sterilized when they become of age, and Gracie said the shelter follows up to make sure the surgery is done. Animal Census reports are prepared monthly and may be requested from the Commission.

The Humane Society Pet Rescue and Adoption Center (HSPRAC) is a nonprofit organization that contracts with the cities of Gadsden and Attalla. HSPRAC’s purpose is “to relieve suffering and to enhance the lives of animals and residents through educational and humane serices to the residents of Etowah County.”

The purpose statement appears on HSPRAC’s 2024 Form 990 which is the IRS return for tax-exempt organizations. The form suggests an organization in distress. From 2023 to 2024, contributions to HSPRAC plummetted over 90%, from $486,000 to $42,000. Total revenue dropped 60%. HSPRAC ended the year with a $130,000 loss.

Although the HSPRAC website includes a data page, data that was once shared was subsequently deleted, and the page currently offers no Animal Census data. On Mar. 12, 2026, an HSPRAC representative stated regarding the lack of data on the website, “We are also working to get the link restored so that the website will update also.”

In response to our Jan. 27, 2026 request for data, on Mar. 23 an HSPRAC representative sent a single page PDF that was missing data for intake via seizure, lost in care, and died in care. The provided numbers totaled 2047 intakes and 1922 outcomes, with a live release rate of 33%. On Apr. 5, HSPRAC provided added a second page with new columns labeled “Lost/Stole,” representing 66 cats and dogs (see page 3 of the PDF for an HSPRAC staff member’s explanation), and “Unassisted Death in custody,” tallying 13 animals. According to the data provided, HSPRAC’s 2025 live release rate was 31.5%. The PDF is in the Documents section below.

Rainbow City Animal Shelter, founded in 2017, is operated by Rainbow City and also serves Glencoe and Southside. Impounded animals are posted on Facebook. Animal Census reports may be requested from Rainbow City.

Animal Control in Etowah County

Animal Control in Unincorporated Areas of Etowah County: Etowah County Commission employs two ACOs. For assistance, call Etowah County Animal Control at 256-494-5422 or call Etowah County non-emergency dispatch at 256-442-2789 or 256-442-2312.

Animal Control Within Corporate Limits & Police Jurisdiction:

• In areas of Altoona within Blount County, call 205-625-4913. In Etowah County, contact Etowah County Animal Control.
• In Attalla, contact the Police Department at 256-538-7837.
• If a concern is within the municipal limits of the City of Boaz or at a Boaz address that is in Marshall County, see Animal Services in Marshall County. For Boaz addresses that are located in Etowah County, call Etowah County Animal Control. (Most of 35956 is Etowah County; 35957 is Marshall County.)
• In Gadsden, call Gadsden Animal Control at 256-549-4508.
• For assistance in Glencoe, call ACO Stanley Trimm at the Police Department at 256-492-1425 x4.
• In Hokes Bluff, call City Hall at 256-492-2414. City Hall takes care of owner issues, including at-large violations, and impoundment of loose dogs in municipal Hokes Bluff.
• In Rainbow City, call Animal Control at 256-413-1242.
• Reece City, Ridgeville, Sardis City, and Walnut Grove are served by Etowah County Animal Control.
• Southside ACO Victoria Cranford is a civilian ACO who works at the Southside Police Department. Call 256-442-9775 x129.

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

Dog Confinement Requirements in Etowah County

County Adoption of Alabama’s Dog Confinement Statute: Dog confinement is required in Etowah County because the Etowah County Commission adopted Alabama Code § 3-1-5, which requires that dogs be confined to the owner’s premises or kept in the charge of a responsible person if off-premises.

Etowah County adopted the statute via resolution at a 1986 Commission meeting.

Dog Confinement Requirements Within Corporate Limits & Police Jurisdiction:

• Dog confinement is required by ordinance in Altoona (see BlountAnimals.com), Boaz (§§ 6-26–28), Gadsden (§ 10-105), Glencoe (§ 6-96), Hokes Bluff (FAQ), Rainbow City (§ 6-366), and Southside (§ 6-55).
• Attalla’s animal control ordinance requires dog confinement and also limits pet owners to no more than four outdoor dogs or cats, according to a 2005 Gadsden Times article.
• Reece City, Ridgeville, Sardis City, Walnut Grove: Dog confinement is required by statute and possibly also by ordinance.

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

Low-Cost Spay & Neuter in Etowah County

• Mailman’s Mutts offers occasional sales of discounted spay and neuter vouchers for dogs and cats.
• Pet transportation is available from Attalla for surgeries at Alabama Spay Neuter, the nonprofit clinic in Irondale.

For additional resources, see Low-Cost Spay & Neuter in Alabama and Low-Cost Spay & Neuter in Marshall County and Low-Cost Spay & Neuter in Jefferson County.

Etowah County Documents

Animal Census Reports:

• HSPRAC 2025 data — see notes above.
• HSPRAC 2022–2024 data, prepared by Lori Howell from data provided by HSPRAC.

Alabama Code § 3-1-5 Adoption:

• Etowah County Alabama Code § 3-1-5 Adoption Resolution and Meeting Minutes (1986)

Public Records Request:

• Etowah County Commission Public Records Request Form & Procedure — if your request is denied on the basis of the in-person requirement, see this information. Our April 2025 request was initially denied on that basis, though County Clerk Stephanie Franklin ultimately fulfilled the request upon our mailing of the form. Etowah County required this form when we requested records in April 2025, however the form was not and remains (as of this March 2026 update) unavailable on the Etowah County website.
• Rainbow City Public Records Request Form & Procedure

Sources

• Gracie Griggs, then-director, Etowah County Animal Shelter. Aubrie Kavanaugh spoke with Gracie on April 25, 2025.
• Stephanie Franklin, County Clerk, Etowah County Commission. Stephanie provided the Etowah County Alabama Code § 3-1-5 Adoption Resolution on Apr. 17, 2025.
• Lori Howell, former manager of Etowah County Animal Shelter and former Etowah County ACO, provided shelter information, county and municipal animal control details, and animal census records and sources.
• Jeff Johnson, HSPRAC board member, and staff members provided census data and other information via email to Kristin Yarbrough in spring 2026, as described above.

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