Community Resources

🐾 Rehoming Owned Pet Resources

Deciding to Rehome is a Difficult Decision to Make
    • We understand there may be issues that arise in your home that force you to question whether you are able to keep your pet. Making this decision is difficult and we are here to offer guidance and support. Our goal is to help you as you navigate this decision, and give you the resources you need to ensure your pet is rehomed to a wonderful family
    • We urge you to exhaust all other resources and alternatives before surrendering your pet to Wiregrass Pets. While Wiregrass Pets does everything we can to ensure animals in our care are comfortable, we average many intakes a day and care for over 4,000 animals each year. An animal shelter is a stressful environment for any animal, but especially for owned pets. Our state-of-the-art shelter cannot compare to the love and care that a pet receives at home. 
  • Please note we are not able to accept same day owner surrenders as we do not have the capacity for every owned pet that owners are wanting to relinquish.  We will help and provide resources for you to rehome on your own, but we cannot take your pet the same day.  Wiregrass Pets will charge an owner surrender fee of $30 per owned pet surrendered.
  • If you are moving and can not take your pet with you please make arrangements prior to your move to rehome your pet and do not rely on Wiregrass Pets being able to accept your owned pet
    • As an alternative to relinquishing your pet to Wiregrass Pets, we encourage you to rehome them privately. By rehoming your pet privately, you prevent them from ever having to enter a stressful shelter. As their owner, you are the best person equipped to match them to their new home as you know them best and can advocate for their unique qualities and personality.
    • Give your photos, story and email to everyone you know asking for their help in finding a new home for your pet. Use your social media profiles to ask your network to share your pet and assist in the search for a new, loving home. Advertise through your community bulletin board, neighborhood association Facebook pages, or your local NextDoor app. Ask friends, co-workers, and family members if they are looking to add a companion to their family. Placing your pet with someone you know will ease the transition for you, the new guardian, and for your pet!
    • Simple templates can be found online to create a rehoming flyer or poster through https://rehome.adoptapet.com. If you are the creative type, there are several free graphic design resources available to create something that may be more pleasing to the eye and grab more attention. Checkout sites like Canva. You can share your rehoming flyers and posters online and in the community. If you are posting them around town, be sure to place posters at the library, pet supply stores, community centers, veterinary offices, and grooming salons, where pet owners and pet enthusiasts may visit.
    What are the benefits of rehoming privately?

    All shelters across the country are having a difficult time right now with their intake numbers going up and many do not have space for all the pets coming in, which unfortunately means many shelters are euthanizing for space.  Even more unfortunate is that the owner surrendered pets are the first to be euthanized. Rehoming your pet privately has many benefits. The first being you’re preventing your pet from having to enter a stressful shelter environment. Many owned pets have a difficult time transitioning in a shelter due to the sounds, smells and new interactions. This stress can impact how potential adopters view them, and prolong their stay in the shelter. Privately rehoming a pet can also help owners transition after giving their pet away. The guilt that can accompany the unknown outcome of your pet is no longer present as you are able to meet their new family, and maybe even stay in contact to see how the pet is doing in their new home. Lastly, privately rehoming gives shelters the ability to reserve open kennels for animals who truly need shelter services and prevents organizations from having to make difficult decisions regarding the animals in their care due to capacity issues.

    Can I introduce my pet to a potential adopter at Wiregrass Pets?
    • If you do not feel comfortable having the potential adopter come to your home to meet your pet, we would suggest using a local park such as West Gate Park or East Gate Park, or the Forever Wild Trails as a meet up spot. We are unable to accommodate meetings inside or outside the shelter. Wiregrass Pets would not have any involvement with the potential adopters that contact you about your pet. We are unable to facilitate the meet-n-greet or assist with the transfer of ownership.
    • Meeting new people in a new space can cause stress to your pet which in turn may cause them to act differently than they normally would. It’s important to keep this in mind when setting a meeting place. Bringing your pet into a shelter environment for introductions is not the best option for your pet. When at all possible, we highly recommend introducing your pet to their potential new owners in an environment that is already familiar to your pet.
    • While you can reach out to other rescue organizations, remember many rescues in Houston County are normally full, so be sure to include reaching out to organizations further away and surrounding and northern states.   Foster based rescues typically can take pets if they have a foster home available, but it can take time to find an available foster home. 

    🐾 Feral & Community Cats & Trap, Neuter, Return

    What Are Community Cats?

    Community cats, sometimes called feral, wild, or outdoor cats, — are self-sufficient animals that live happily outdoors. Unlike house cats, they are not socialized to humans and typically do not enjoy indoor life. They can live long, healthy lives in their outdoor colonies without needing to be adopted.

    Why Wiregrass Pets Cannot Accept Feral Cats?

    Feral cats are not adoptable, and most would be euthanized in a shelter environment. Shelters are highly stressful for unsocialized cats, and handling them can be unsafe for staff. For these reasons, Wiregrass Pets cannot take in feral or community cats. Instead, the focus should be on Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) the humane and effective way to manage populations.

    What Is TNR and Why It Works?

    TNR stands for Trap, Neuter, Return: cats are humanely trapped, spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and then returned to their outdoor homes. This prevents overpopulation and reduces unwanted litters, while allowing cats to live safely in their communities.

    An eartip (a small notch in the ear) shows a cat has already been sterilized and vaccinated. If you see a cat with an eartip, leave them be they are already part of a TNR program.

    Why Catch and Kill or Relocation Doesn’t Work?

    For more than a century, shelters have relied on catching and killing or relocating cats to control populations. This method fails because:

    • It creates a “vacuum effect” when cats are removed, new ones move in to take advantage of food and shelter.

    • Populations continue to grow despite millions of healthy outdoor cats being killed each year.

    • It wastes taxpayer money on ineffective policies.

    • It goes against what the public wants: humane, life-saving approaches.

    TNR is the only proven, humane solution to stabilize outdoor cat populations long-term.

    (Read more at Alley Cat Allies)

    🐾 Found A Stray?

    Who Manages the Shelter?

    We as a team are responsible for onsite animal care, adoptions, fostering, transport, and community education programs. Once a stray arrives at our facility, our nonprofit takes over all care and management.

    Role of Animal Control

    The City of Dothan Animal Control Officers and Houston County Animal Control Officers are responsible for:

    • Collecting stray animals within city and county limits

    • Enforcing animal laws, including neglect, cruelty, and hoarding cases

    They no longer manage the daily operations of the shelter, but when they pick up a stray, it is transported to Wiregrass Pets for care.

    Found a Stray in Dothan?

    If you’ve found a stray in the City of Dothan or need to report animal cruelty, visit:
    👉 City of Dothan Animal Control Info

    Found a Stray in Houston County?

    If you’ve found a stray in Houston County or need to report animal cruelty, call:

    • During business hours (Mon–Fri, 8am–5pm): 334-678-2810

    • After hours/weekends: Houston County Sheriff’s Dispatch at 334-677-4808

    🐾 Wildlife & Animal Cruelty Numbers

    Found Injured Wildlife

    If you come across injured wildlife, contact a permitted wildlife rehabilitator through:
    👉 Outdoor Alabama Wildlife Rehabilitation Resources.

    Livestock Animal Cruelty

    To report livestock animal cruelty, contact ALEA’s Rural Crime Unit: