Mission

The Greater Birmingham Humane Society is dedicated to promoting respect for life through education and prevention of cruelty to animals and people.

Our Story

The Greater Birmingham Humane Society, founded in 1883, is the oldest and one of the largest humane societies in the Southeast. It is an open access humane society, meaning that we will accept any animal in need of our services without regard to jurisdictional boundaries. We receive no city, county, state, or federal tax dollars for our work, but instead, are funded by generous donors in our local communities and across the state.

Our programs and community outreach extend well beyond the borders of Birmingham and Jefferson County. For nearly 130 years, the Greater Birmingham Humane Society has achieved a reputation of serving those who have nowhere else to turn, not only in North-central Alabama but throughout the state and region.

Our Programs

Animal Disaster Response - This program works closely with first responders and community partners to utilize all available community resources to respond and provide relief for animals and their families during emergency situations.

Cruelty Investigation and Prevention - In conjunction with local law enforcement, this program is operates a 24-hour hotline to provide the community with tools to combat animal cruelty.

Equine & Large Animal Rescue Barn - The first of its kind in Alabama, this barn works with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to house and rehabilitate equine and large animals.

Foster Care - We are able to provide animals with temporary homes for families in crisis due to military, domestic violence, economic hardships, chemical dependency, and medical emergencies.

Community Outreach and Education – Provides pet care resources and education in humane concepts for communities and schools through neighborhood programs and classroom presentations.

Pet Adoption Program - Our most well-known and identity-defining program finds loving, responsible “forever homes” for the pets in our care.

Pet Pantry – By partnering with human service agencies, this new program is coordinated completely through volunteer efforts to provide pet food to those who might otherwise be unable to keep their pets due to temporary economic hardship.

Volunteer Program - Trained volunteers serve as a secondary staff base for typical day-to-day shelter duties as well as primary support at community events and during special circumstances such as disaster response.