One of our primary duties at the shelter is reuniting lost pets with their owners. As pet owners ourselves we can understand the pain of losing a furry friend.

Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter is the only stray receiving facility for Tuscaloosa County, Tuscaloosa City, and the City of Northport. As such all animals picked up by County, Tuscaloosa City, and Northport Animal Control agencies are brought to the shelter.

We take in stray animals from the public for no fee. However due to health and safety reasons we do close intake when the shelter is above capacity. It is best to call us at 205-752-9101 and inquire about space before bringing any animal here. If you find an animal and we do not have space there is a found animal form located in our front office which you can fill out.

The first thing we suggest if you lose an animal is to physically come by the shelter to walk through the kennels. We suggest this because you are the best person to know exactly what your animal looks like. We receive dozens of animals every day and often it will be hard for us to tell one black lab from another or one tabby cat from another. So please come down to look.

As an added resource you can now view stray animals on our website. However it can take up to 72 hours (or sometimes longer) for an animal to be entered into our system depending on volume of intake. Also, animals that are brought in as bite/rabies suspects will not be listed in the system. Animals with severe injures also may not have a visible image in the system.

If your animal is brought into the shelter you will be required to go through the redemption process.

Before you can redeem your animal you must provide proof that you are the animal’s legal owner. Any of the documents listed below are what we accept as proof. Also we do not accept facebook pictures that do not meet one of the criteria below due to previous attempts to fraudulently redeem animals.

• Pictures with owner
• Pictures showing progression (example: puppy to adult)
• Vet Records
• Bill of Sale
• Adoption Paperwork
• Facebook Pictures

If an animal is brought into the shelter by animal control the owner will be required to pay a redemption fee and any boarding fees accrued during the animal’s stay at the shelter. If the animal is dropped off by a member of the public there is no redemption fee but the owner will be charged for the vaccinations given on intake and any bording fees accrued during the animal’s stay at the shelter. We will also require the owner to pay for the cost of the rabies vaccination if the animal cannot be verified as up to date. In Alabama the rabies vaccination must be given by a licensed veterinarian per state law. All dogs and cats are required to be vaccinated against rabies.

Redemption Fees (per animal)
First Offense: $40
Second Offense: $55
Third Offense: $75
Fourth Offense: $125

Boarding Fee: $10 per night.
Rabies Fee: $15 for a certificate which you can redeem at a local vet for a rabies vaccination.

Metro Animal Shelter vaccinates all healthy animals upon intake. This is done to aid in preventing the spread of disease in the shelter. We base our vaccination protocols on recommendations from local veterinarians and the American Animal Hospital Association’s (AAHA) vaccination guidelines.

If you have any questions about stray animals or our intake process you can contact the Intake Coordinator by clicking the button below.

To take a look at other resources for lost and found animals provided by the shelter or outside organizations click the button below.