Animal Services in Lauderdale County

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Impoundment Facilities or Shelters in Lauderdale County

Florence Lauderdale Animal Services is funded and operated by both Lauderdale County and the City of Florence, Jordan said. Cheryl Jones serves as director.

The shelter has a capacity of nearly 400 dogs and cats, according to a WHNT report. It opened in 2019 after six years of development, “replacing an outdated and cramped shelter built more than 30 years ago,” per WHNT.

In addition to dogs, cats, and small companion animals such as rabbits and hamsters, the shelter intakes horses and cattle which can graze on a 16 acre pasture, WHNT reported. In Jan. 2026, when the shelter was housing over a dozen pigs and piglets and in need of more barn capacity, Friends of Florence Lauderdale Animal Services raised $475 to construct a separate enclosure.

• Stray Hold is 7 days.
• Spay/Neuter is done prior to release to adopter for older pets; for younger pets, adopters agree to have the animal sterilized and costs are included in the adoption fee. (Jordan said some area vets require pets to be 6 months old.)
• Animal Census Reports used to be posted on the City of Florence website, but the most recent statistics are from 2022.

An on-site veterinary clinic has been years in the making, according to an Oct. 2025 WHNT article and TV segment. The clinic had recently been awarded non-profit status. Florence Councilmember Chapel King told WHNT that fundraising was underway to secure a building nearby at which to estabish the clinic.

Florence Lauderdale Animal Services intends to utilize the clinic for intake vetting, sterilization, and vaccination, according to July 2025 reporting by Aria Pons for WAFF.

Animal Control in Lauderdale County

The City of Florence handles the dispatch of animal control officers for all of Lauderdale County. In addition to daytime availability, typically one officer is on call each night for emergencies. For assistance, call 256-760-6610.

Dog Confinement Requirements in Lauderdale County

County Adoption of Alabama’s Dog Confinement Statute: Dog confinement is required in Lauderdale County because the Lauderdale 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.

Dog Confinement Requirements Within Corporate Limits & Police Jurisdiction:

• Dog confinement is required by ordinance in Florence (§ 4-80).
• Dog confinement requirements unknown (ordinances are not published online): Anderson, Killen, Lexington, Rogersville, St. Florian, Waterloo. (It is likely that confinement is required in these municipalities, whether by statute and/or ordinance.)

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

Low-Cost Spay & Neuter in Lauderdale County

• Shoals PAWS (Fb) offers spay/neuter and TNR assistance to pet owners and community cat caretakers in Colbert, Franklin, and Lauderdale counties. PAWS also operates foster programs and offers puppies, dogs, kittens, and cats for adoption.
• Northwest Alabama Spay and Neuter Assistance (NASANA) (Fb) offers financial assistance for pet sterilization to residents of Colbert, Franklin, and Lauderdale counties who receive either food stamps or Medicaid. Fill out the application on their website.
• See Low-Cost Spay/Neuter in Alabama for additional resources.

Access to Information & Public Records in Lauderdale County

Commission: I submitted a records request on Apr. 14, 2025. There was no response within the acknowledgement period. After several follow-up attempts, County Administrator Brooke Nichols-Slatton emailed on May 15 that she had searched the (apparently analog) records and concluded that the Commission had not adopted (actually, the Commission had adopted in 2004, as confirmed by Cheryl Jones; I emailed Brooke with a link to the resolution provided by Cheryl).

Animal Shelter: I informally requested the document from Cheryl Jones, Florence-Lauderdale director of animal control, on May 2, 2025, and Cheryl provided it via FB Messenger on May 6.

Lauderdale County Documents

• Lauderdale County Alabama Code § 3-1-5 Adoption Resolution
• Animal Census: see above.
• County Commission Public Records Request Form: I did not find a form on the county website. Call the Commission to request or submit according to the Open Records Act template.

Sources

• Cheryl Jones, Director of Animal Services, provided the Alabama Code § 3-1-5 adoption resolution on May 6, 2025.
• Jordan, front desk at Florence Lauderdale Animal Services, provided shelter and animal control information on Apr. 25, 2025.
• Brooke Nichols-Slatton, County Administrator at Lauderdale County Commission: 256-760-5750 x7. See above.

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