As Crenshaw County commissioners work on a permanent solution to animal control, they ask that residents continue step one of the old one: call your commissioner.

The county’s animal control policy is for residents to call a commissioner to report any stray animal in the yard.

The commissioner then contacts a veterinarian or clinic to place the animal. Once that arrangement is made, the resident is granted permission to bring the animal to the specified clinic.

Because all strays are handled case-by-case, Commissioner Michelle Stephens said the county has forged a similar arrangement as it had with Dr. Alethea Gammage of the Crenshaw County Animal Clinic.

“It’s not a pound. No, they’re not going to be a pound and everything has to go through each commissioner. They (Crenshaw residents) can’t just show up to either door with a stray animal,” she said.

Despite it not being a pound, Stephens said the temporary arrangement meant the county was technically still in compliance with the law.

“They are going to house dogs and cats for seven days. It’s the same thing that Alethea did,” she said. “This was just a temporary thing until we got something permanent in place. This could last just a couple of weeks.”

According to Alabama Law (Section 3-7A-7), it is the duty of each and every county in the state to provide “a suitable county pound and impounding officer for the impoundment of dogs, cats, and ferrets found running at large…”

Stephens said her arrangements with neighboring counties were for dogs and cats.

At the last commission meeting, commissioners agreed to brainstorm long-term solutions and present them at the next meeting. The commission’s next scheduled meeting is Oct. 27.