Animal Services in Walker County

We welcome your updates, additions, corrections, or comments: please email us. Information that you provide can be credited to you or kept anonymous, as you prefer.

Impoundment Facilities or Shelters in Walker County

Greater Birmingham Humane Society (GBHS) operates Walker County Animal Services under a contract with Walker County Commission which was approved in October 2023 and began Mar. 26, 2024, as reported by the Daily Mountain Eagle and CBS42. The facility is directed by Lindsey Cross and serves the unincorporated area only.

• Stray Hold is 7 days.
• Spay/Neuter is not performed prior to adoption; instead, the responsibility is on the adopter to have the pet sterilized. A certificate for sterilization is included with adoption.
• Animal Census Reports are required by state law; however, GBHS has not provided 2025 records, in violation of Alabama’s Animal Census Reporting Act and Open Records Act. Our Mar. 4 request to Director Lindsey Cross remains unfulfilled; follow-up emails were sent Mar. 17 and Apr. 24, 2026.

Prior to the GBHS contract, the Commission had operated the facility directly under the name Walker County Humane and Adoption Center. Ed Howell reported in the Daily Mountain Eagle that GBHS was the only bidder. The contract includes compensation to GBHS of $205,440 per year, based on an 1,200 annual intake.

The manager stated that Animal Census data is prepared and “some is online,” however nothing was posted on the Walker County website or by GBHS at the time of the call (Apr. 29, 2025), or on subsequent visits in Sept. 2025 and Mar. 2026.

The Jasper Animal Care & Control Center (JACCS) website states that “Jasper Animal Care & Control Shelter partnered with the Greater Birmingham Humane Society in 2018” and that as of a 2020 press release by then-mayor David P. O’Mary, the facility was “the only non-Birmingham shelter that the Greater Birmingham Humane Society operates.” (GBHS now also contracts with Pell City.) Walker County Animal Services director Lindsey Cross also directs Jasper Animal Care & Control.

• Stray Hold is 7 days.
• Animal Census Reports are required by state law; however, GBHS has not provided 2025 records, in violation of Alabama’s Animal Census Reporting Act and Open Records Act. Our Mar. 4 request to Director Lindsey Cross remains unfulfilled; follow-up emails were sent Mar. 17 and Apr. 24, 2026, with Commissioner Jeff Burrough cc’d on the latter.

As of February 2026, the City of Jasper was in the process of purchasing a property across the street from the current facility to be used as a new shelter, Nicole Smith reported in the Daily Mountain Eagle.

Animal Control & Cruelty Investigation in Walker County

Impoundment Officer(s): It is unclear whether GBHS impounds loose dogs — even though GBHS’ contract with Walker County requires “the capture and detention of stray dogs and other animals in designated areas within Walker County.” The WCAS manager stated that there is no county AC; similarly, Zoe Blair stated in a July 24, 2025 report for WTVM that “a representative from Walker County Animal Services confirmed that they do not have a crew to pick up strays but mentioned that residents can bring pets to them.” Further, the contract does not define the “designated areas.” Multiple requests for clarification remain unanswered. For assistance, call Walker County Sheriff’s Office at 205-302-6464.

Cruelty Investigation: Deputy Justin Greenspan of Walker County Sheriff’s Office is the cruelty and welfare investigator. Animal cruelty in Walker County may be reported via a form on the Sheriff’s Office website and also via the GBHS website. On Sept. 15, 2025, the Walker County Commission passed a resolution to appoint GBHS staff members as agents for the investigation of animal cruelty. For assistance, call Walker County Sheriff’s Office at 205-302-6464.

Animal Control Within Corporate Limits & Police Jurisdiction:

• Jasper: “City of Jasper Police Department provides emergency response, stray pick-up, and on-call officers,” according to GBHS’s Jasper information, which lists the phone number as 205-221-6790.
• Carbon Hill, Corova, Dora, Eldridge, Kansas, Nauvoo, Oakman, Parrish, Sipsey, Sumiton: If there are impoundment services in these very small cities and towns, presumably services are provided by Walker County (whether through Walker County Sheriff’s Office or GBHS). For cruelty enforcement, contact Walker County Dispatch or the local police. Please contact us if you can provide additional information or a correction.

Dog Confinement Requirements in Walker County

County Adoption of Alabama’s Dog Confinement Statute: Dog confinement is required in Walker County. On Sept. 15, 2025, Walker 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. The adoption was reported by Ed Howell in the Daily Mountain Eagle and Lisa Crane at WVTM13.

Reasons for Statute Adoption: The § 3-1-5 adoption resolution provided by Howell states that the statute was adopted due to “numerous reports of dogs running at large” which pose “a serious danger to the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of Walker County.” Just as in Lawrence County in 2024, where a mauling by owned dogs is what led to the statute's adoption, Jasper County Commission adopted following the July 30, 2025 mauling of a man at Domaine-Oak Hill Mobile Home Park in Jasper. Howell’s article mentions that Kara Jones, executive director of RUFF Rescuers, discussed the attack at the Aug. 12 Parrish Town Council meeting, imploring councilmembers to improve animal services: “We have one animal cruelty officer to handle the entire county of Walker. There is no way he can keep up, and the county commission is not taking this seriously and it is not going to be taken seriously until somebody dies. And I don't know how else to make people understand, and that is why I wanted meetings like this, because it is a problem.”

The dog confinement law can be enforced only when the owner is known. Addressing the issue of loose dogs in the county will also require impoundment officer(s) that serve all of Walker County.

How to Report a Violation: See How to Report an At-Large Dog. Walker County’s specific enforcement procedure is not yet established. Howell reported that “County Attorney Charles Stephens Jr. said once the Sheriff’s Office brings the charges, the case would go through the District Court system as a misdemeanor. Fines would be paid through the Circuit Clerk’s Office.”

Dog Confinement Within Corporate Limits & Police Jurisdiction:

• Jasper: Dog confinement is required by ordinance in Jasper (§ 4-45), with stricter requirements than the statute.
• Carbon Hill, Corova, Dora, Eldridge, Kansas, Nauvoo, Oakman, Parrish, Sipsey, Sumiton: If a dog owner is allowing his dog to run at large within municipal limits, follow the instructions at How to Report an At-Large Dog.

Low-Cost Spay & Neuter in Walker County

• The RUFF Fix offers discounted sterilization to all when funding is available.
• Alabama Spay & Neuter in Irondale (Birmingham) offers low-cost spay and neuter, with pet transportation from Jasper approximately once a month.
• Animal Hospital of Walker County in Jasper participates in the ALVMF license plate program, which offers $10 cat sterilization or $20 dog sterilization for Medicaid recipients.
• For additional resources and options, see Low-Cost Spay/Neuter in Alabama and Animal Services in Jefferson County.

Access to Information & Public Records in Walker County

Commission: Walker County Administrator Amy Frederickson is the only official who handles Walker County public records requests and other inquiries, according to Barbara and Billie Jo at the Commission office. Amy told the Walker County Leader that she “is committed to transparency,” but I did not receive a response to a public records request submitted August 6, 2025 nor to follow-ups in August and September 2025. Walker County Commission defaulted on the acknowledgement and fulfillment deadlines of the Open Records Act. There was never an answer at Amy’s extension, her voicemail box was perpetually full, and emails received no reply. Day after day, Barbara and Billie Jo took a message for Amy or told me to call back.

A week after the deadline had passed, I emailed the two Commissioners (Jeff Burrough and John Dunagan) for whom the Walker County website provides contact information and also left a message for County Attorney Charles Stephens. Commissioner Jeff Burrough called me that day from Amy’s office. Jeff said that fulfillment of the public records request fell “on top of [Amy’s] normal duties,” however, the Legislative Services Agency states on pages 29 and 122 of Alabama’s Handbook for County Commissions that making public records available upon request is a legal duty of county commissions. The requested document was then uploaded to Walker County Forms & Docs; Commissioner Burrough advised download the PDF right away because it would be removed, and indeed it was removed in Oct. 2025.

Animal Services: Multiple attempts to obtain public information from GBHS have also gone unanswered. A September 2025 request for clarification about “designated areas” and impoundment of loose dogs in Walker County was referred twice from one GBHS staff member to another, as detailed in Sources, and remains unanswered. A request for 2025 Animal Census reports for both impoundment facilities has also gone unfulfilled.

Sheriff’s Office: I called Walker County Sheriff’s Office on Sept. 18 and again on Sept. 19, 2025 to inquire about reporting procedure for loose dogs or for violations of the dog confinement law; both times the line rang and then disconnected.

Walker County Documents

• Walker County Commission Minutes and Resolution to Adopt Alabama Code § 3-1-5, Sept. 2025
• Walker County Resolution to Appoint Humane Agents, Sept. 2025
• Walker County Animal Services Contract, Oct. 2023
• Walker County Animal Cruelty Reporting Form
• Walker County Commission Public Records Request Form & Procedure — if your request is denied on the basis of the in-person requirement, see this information.

Sources

Greater Birmingham Humane Society (GBHS), contracted operator of Walker County Animal Services (WCAS) and Jasper Animal Care & Control Shelter (JACCS):

• “The Manager” was the only identification provided during Kristin Yarbrough’s call to WCAS on Apr. 29, 2025: the man declined to provide his name. He stated that WCAS serves only the unincorporated area and provided the stray hold and census report information above.
• Kristin Pierson, GBHS dispatch manager, stated on a May 28, 2025 call that Lindsey Cross is “the supervisor of Walker County.” When asked on Sept. 3, 2025 for clarifications about “designated areas” and impoundment of loose dogs in Walker County, Kristin referred me to Lindsey Cross.
• Lindsey Cross, director, Walker County Animal Services and City of Jasper Animal Care and Control, 205-221-6621, LCross@gbhs.org, stated on Sept. 18, 2025 that the requested clarifications (see previous bullet) could be addressed only by Stephanie Salvago, who Lindsey said she would ask to call me. A Mar. 4, 2026 request and Mar. 4 follow-up for Animal Census data for both facilities was not answered; another follow-up was sent Apr. 24.
• Stephanie Salvago, GBHS Director of Development & Marketing, director, 205-937-3042, SSalvago@gbhs.org, could not be reached via email or phone following the referral from Lindsey Cross, as described above.

Walker County:

• Commission: 205-384-7230 x5 or x501. I spoke to Barbara and Billie Jo.
• Administrator Amy Frederickson: 205-384-7230 x500, a.frederickson@walkercountyal.us. In my many attempts, Amy neither answered the phone nor responded to messages.
• Commissioner Jeff Burrough: 205-924-4131, j.burrough@walkercountyal.us.
• Walker County Sheriff’s Office: 205-302-6464 (non-emergency).

Do You Have a Correction, Addition, or Comment?

Please see the note at the top of this page.