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.

When Your Pet Is Lost

Check the shelter’s Facebook page, where all impounded pets are posted. Also call or visit the shelter to check for your pet. See this Paws4Change post on additional steps to take.

The shelter holds impounded adult pets for a seven-day ‘stray hold,’ in accordance with Alabama law, after which the animal may be adopted, released to a rescue, or destroyed. Pets impounded in Oneonta municipal limits are subject to a 2-day hold period.

Reclaiming depends on where your pet was impounded:

Within Oneonta municipal limits? Go to City Hall and follow the City’s procedure.
Elsewhere in Blount County? Go to the shelter. Bring your pet’s current rabies vaccination certificate, if you have one.

When you reclaim your pet at the shelter, consider a microchip. Microchipping is 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.

Also see Marshall County Animal Watch’s compilation of tips on keeping your pets out of shelters.

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.

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, read Marshall County Animal Watch’s thorough resource on pets out of shelters. Topics include:

Keeping dogs contained with effective fencing
What to do when your pet is lost
Pet-friendly housing options
Moving with your pet
Breed-blind insurance companies
Pet parent plan

As stated by Marshall County Animal Watch, surrendering your pet to the shelter should be an absolute last resort. “The shelter is an incredibly stressful place for animals and most of them do not behave there they way they behave with you or in your home. This may ultimately lead to them being destroyed if they get sick at the shelter or are deemed a public safety risk.”

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 linked resource offers extensive alternative options.

An appointment is required to discuss surrendering your pet. Owners must bring proof of ownership, photo ID, and proof of address such as a utility bill.
Only a dog, cat, puppies, kittens over 8 weeks old, rabbit, guinea pig, hamster, or ferret will be considered.
Aggressive dogs are not accepted.
The shelter does not euthanize animals at owner request.

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.