Mobile’s top animal control officer told council members Tuesday that he hopes to submit proposed changes to the animal control ordinance in the next few weeks.
Robert Bryant, the animal services director, told the Mobile City Council’s Public Safety Committee that the city has asked lawyers and judges to review the proposed revisions to ensure that they are “legally stable” and can withstand possible challenges.
One of the highlights is a proposal to stiffen punishment. Fines, currently capped at $100, would rise to $300 to $500, depending on the offense. And repeat offenders could get up to six months in jail. “The whole point of filing charges against someone in these cases is to hold them responsible for their actions,” he told FOX10 News. “And in today’s world, a $100 fine is not as big of an impact as it would have been 10 or 20 years ago. … So to really drive the point home, we have to increase those penalties to a higher range.” The proposal has the strong support of animal advocates, like Brooke Whitehurst, who got involved in animal rescue efforts last year after trying to save a dog that had been“The penalties that only give us a $100 fine, that’s not enough,” she said. “When we have animals that are starved to death in chains and people who are basically getting a slap on the wrist for it, then we’re not really doing our due justice for these animals.” Mobile resident Wendy Carter-Sweat said she is disappointed by the city’s enforcement of animal abuse. She said she has called 311 multiple times to report abused and emaciated dogs. “We get a follow-up text, and then we don’t hear anything else after that,” she said. “We hear nothing else. We watch the animal day after day. We watch it starve. If the city does approach the homeowner, the pet owner, the pet disappears the next day.” Bryant said state law limits what Mobile can do with its animal control ordinance. For instance, he said, his officers can take action only if they witness a violation.That is why it is so important for people to report animal abuse as soon as they see something and not days or even hours later, Bryant said. While state law allows charges against the owner of a dog that bites a person, Bryant said, that is not the case if a dog attacks another animal. That is an issue that came up recently at a council meeting when a Mobile woman recalled a dog coming onto her property and mauling her cat. There also are staffing issues. Bryant said the city has seven animal control officers, with four on patrol on a given day. He said they respond to 20 to 30 calls a day. He told council members that the number one problem with stray dogs is that the animals usually are not there when control officers arrive.Copyright 2026 WALA. All rights reserved.
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