SYLACAUGA, Ala. – The city of Sylacauga and the Greater Birmingham Humane Society have launched an effort to safely capture a large group of free-roaming dogs that has been seen along Hwy 280.
The Sylacauga City Council recently approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the humane society that establishes responsibilities for both organizations. The agreement describes the operation as addressing both animal welfare and public safety concerns.
Sylacauga also has adopted and is enforcing a no-feed ordinance that prohibits people from feeding free-roaming animals.
Officials have reported groups of dogs around heavily traveled commercial areas along the highway, including parking lots near Home Depot and Walmart.
To begin the operation, the Greater Birmingham Humane Society is placing bait stations designed to lure the dogs away from the highway and toward areas where they can be captured more safely. The humane society first offered to assist Sylacauga with the trapping effort in June, and the operation is now getting underway.
The number of dogs in the area is believed to have increased over several years, with officials estimating the population could be as high as 40 animals. Some of the dogs appear to have injuries and may require separate trapping efforts.
The Greater Birmingham Humane Society also plans to deploy a large corral-style trap capable of containing several dogs at one time. The equipment will be moved to other locations as the operation progresses.
Under the agreement, the humane society will handle the capture of the animals and coordinate veterinary intake assessments. After that process, the dogs will be transferred to Sylacauga Animal Services.
The Greater Birmingham Humane Society is not releasing the location of the corral trap, citing concerns that people could disrupt the operation.
