Animal Control

The City of Decatur has an Animal Control ordinance that can be found at Municode.com. Decatur encourages responsible pet ownership, which includes the prevention of pets from becoming a nuisance to neighbors and protecting the public health and safety. Animal Control also protects animals from cruel treatment, neglect and injury. 

Please call 911 for animal control emergencies. 

Pet owners can help reduce instances of animal complaints by: 

• Keeping your cat, dog and other pets on your property. Animals should be enclosed within a house, building, fence, pen, or on a leash. 
• Vaccinating your dogs and cats. 
• Getting a collar for your dog or cat with its rabies inoculation tag attached. 
• Spaying/neutering your pets. 
• Keeping your pet on a leash when it is outside of your property. 
• Quieting your dog when it barks. 
• Picking up pet waste while walking your pets and disposing of it in a sanitary manner. 
• Keeping aggressive dogs on a leash while in the dog park. 

For more details on Decatur Animal Control, please see the Animal Control ordinance posted online. 

Officer Cantrell is the City of Decatur's part-time Animal Control Officer. You may contact him via email at animalcontrol@decaturga.com. When Officer Cantrell is not on duty, contact DeKalb County at 404-294-2996 to share your animal control questions or concerns. 

For wildlife issues or concerns, you may contact Atlanta Wild Animal Rescue Effort (AWARE) at 678-418-1111 or visit www.awarewildlife.org.