Tools to Keep Pets Home
Some of these are guides we wrote. Some are tools we built. Some are programs that exist because AAF saw the gap and filled it. All of them exist for the same reason: most people do not know what help is available until it is too late. We are trying to change that.
Free Downloadable Guides
Eight free guides built for families, renters, landlords, and animal welfare professionals. Every one is designed to keep pets with the people who love them.
Keep Your Pet Guide
The Shift to Prevention
Rescue Startup Budget Template
Before You Surrender Guide
Spay and Neuter Guide
Vet Care Resources Guide
Renter Rights Guide
Landlord Yes Guide
Help for Families with Pets
If you are struggling with a pet situation, these resources can help. Start with our Pet Help Desk if you are not sure where to begin.
Pet Help Desk
One call connects you to everything. Tell us what is going on and we figure out the right help together. No judgment, no runaround.
Call (205) 754-7542 →Alabama Spay Neuter Clinic
Low-cost spay and neuter services in the Birmingham metro area. AAF's SNIP program can cover the full cost for qualifying households.
Learn about SNIP →Alabama Pet Pantry
Free pet food distribution for families in need across Alabama. If your pet is going hungry, this is a place to start while AAF connects you to longer-term support.
Find more help →Greater Birmingham Humane Society P.A.W.S.
The Pets Are Worth Saving program at GBHS provides emergency veterinary assistance for pet owners who cannot afford critical care.
Find more help →RedRover Relief
Emergency grants for pet owners facing financial crisis. Helps with urgent veterinary care when a family cannot afford a sudden medical bill that could lead to surrender.
Visit RedRoverThe Pet Fund
Financial assistance for non-emergency veterinary care. Covers treatment for chronic conditions and non-urgent medical needs that families cannot afford on their own.
Visit The Pet FundBow Wow Buddies Foundation
Grants for dogs in need of urgent medical care whose families cannot afford treatment. Application-based, open to pet owners nationwide.
Visit Bow Wow BuddiesHousing Bridge
Micro-grants for families who need help covering a pet deposit to keep their housing. A $200 to $500 deposit should not be the reason a family loses their pet.
Learn about The Bridge →Keep The Pet Video Series
Free comedic dog training videos featuring Cotton and Luna. Written simply enough for a five-year-old to follow. Real training advice disguised as entertainment.
Watch on TikTokCommunity Resource Directory
A wider list of vetted help across Alabama and beyond: vet bill funds, low-cost spay/neuter, pet food, lost and found, adoption, and rehoming. Not sure where to start? Call the Pet Help Desk and we will point you to the right one. Tags marked AAF AREA are inside our seven Central Alabama counties.
Vet Bill Assistance
The Mosby Foundation
Helps families afford care for critically sick, injured, or abused dogs.
Visit websiteFriends & Vets Helping Pets
Toward treatment for pets with curable conditions when owners face hardship.
Visit websitePaws 4 A Cure
Vet care help for dogs and cats, regardless of breed, age, or diagnosis.
Visit websiteBow Wow Buddies Foundation
Grants up to $2,500 for urgent medical care for dogs.
Visit websiteHelp-A-Pet
Vet care help for limited-income owners, including people with disabilities and seniors.
Visit websiteThe Onyx & Breezy Foundation
Grants for pets of people facing medical hardship. Apply to CareCredit first.
Visit websiteHumane Society: Trouble Affording Your Pet
National directory of assistance programs, low-cost clinics, and cost-saving tips.
View guideAVMA: Financial Assistance for Vet Care
Veterinary-profession guidance on managing costs and finding assistance.
View guideAnimal Humane Society: Emergencies & Assistance
What to do in a pet emergency and where to find help with costs.
View guideCARE Northshore: Pet Financial Aid
Curated list of national and breed-specific medical aid programs.
View guideYour Dog's Friend: Help Paying Vet Bills
Maintained list of vet-bill help organized by need and condition.
View guideGoFundMe: Help With Vet Bills
How to set up and share a crowdfunding campaign for vet bills.
View guideHeartworm Treatment Assistance
Options and organizations that may help when heartworm treatment costs too much.
View guideLow-Cost Spay & Neuter
Alabama Spay/Neuter Clinic (Irondale)
High-volume low-cost spay/neuter serving a 13-county range around Birmingham. Transport available.
Visit websiteShelby County Humane Spay/Neuter
Low-cost spay/neuter for Central Alabama, with reduced pricing for lower income.
Visit websiteSNAP Alabama Directory
Statewide county-by-county directory of low-cost spay/neuter programs.
Find your countyAlabama Animal Alliance (Montgomery)
Open to anyone. Grant help for Medicaid and food stamp recipients, plus transport from Auburn.
Visit websiteMobile SPCA
Low-cost spay/neuter with vouchers and discounts for assistance recipients.
Visit websiteWiregrass Spay/Neuter Alliance
Affordable flat-price spay/neuter for Southeast Alabama.
Visit websiteNASANA
Shoals-area spay/neuter. $25 copay for Food Stamp or Medicaid recipients.
Visit websiteVaccines & Microchips
GBHS Free Wellness & Microchip Clinics
Free drive-through vaccine and microchip clinics in the Birmingham area.
See clinicsComforts of Home Low-Cost Clinics
Monthly low-cost vaccine, microchip, and heartworm-testing clinics in Birmingham, Hoover, and Hueytown.
Clinic schedulePet Food Help
Alabama Pet Pantry
Free pet food for Jefferson and Shelby county families. Monthly distributions.
Visit websiteTori's Pet Pantry
Pet food assistance in the Mobile area. See Facebook for dates.
Visit FacebookBaldwin Humane Pet Food Pantry
Pet food and assistance for Baldwin County families.
Visit websiteLost & Found
GBHS Lost & Found
Jefferson County lost-and-found hub and animal control intake.
Visit websiteAdoption & Rescue
Greater Birmingham Humane Society
Alabama's oldest and largest shelter. Adoptions in the Birmingham area.
Visit websiteAnimal Adoption Center of Blount County
Blount County shelter in Cleveland. Spay/neuter included in adoption.
Visit websiteHave a Heart Animal Rescue
Small Birmingham foster-based rescue, mostly cats and kittens.
Visit websiteTails from Alabama
High-volume foster-based dog rescue in the Bessemer and Birmingham metro.
Visit websiteFull Circle Rescue and Sanctuary
All-volunteer foster-based rescue and sanctuary in central Alabama.
Visit websiteDixie Girl Dog Rescue
Birmingham rescue for dogs and cats, focused on the overlooked ones.
Visit websiteTuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter
Stray-receiving shelter for Tuscaloosa County, Tuscaloosa, and Northport.
Visit websiteBirmingham-Area Shelters & Rescues
Browse adoptable pets across many Birmingham-area organizations at once.
Browse directoryBreed Rescues
Bama Bully Rescue
Alabama's first bully-breed rescue, plus owner support and education.
Visit websiteAdopt a Golden Birmingham
Golden Retriever rescue for the Birmingham metro.
Visit websiteSouthern Skies Labrador Rescue
Labrador and sporting-breed rescue based in Huntsville.
Visit websiteAlabama Boston Terrier Rescue
Statewide foster-based Boston Terrier rescue since 2003.
Visit websiteGreat Pyrenees Rescue of Atlanta
Great Pyrenees rescue serving Georgia and Alabama.
Visit websiteRockin P Rescue
All-volunteer Boxer rescue licensed in Alabama and Georgia.
Visit websiteBreed-Specific Rescue Search (Petfinder)
Search adoptable pets by breed and location nationwide.
Search PetfinderOwner Support & Rehoming
GBHS Pet Owner Support Programs
Food, vaccines, microchips, behavior help, boarding, dog houses, and fencing for at-risk owners.
Request helpSupported Self-Rehoming (GBHS)
Guidance to rehome a pet directly, without shelter intake.
Learn moreAdopt-a-Pet Rehome
Free rehoming with adopter screening and safety guidance built in.
Visit websiteRehome With Love
Rehoming platform connecting owners directly with new adopters.
Visit websiteSurrendering a Pet (GBHS)
Appointment-based surrender info for Jefferson County, including alternatives to consider first.
Visit websiteResources for Animal Welfare Professionals
Tools, data, and frameworks for shelters, rescues, veterinarians, government agencies, and anyone working to reduce preventable intake.
The AWRN
The Animal Welfare Resource Network connects shelters, rescues, veterinary clinics, and community organizations into an interconnected prevention platform. Every partner connects to every other partner.
Learn about the AWRN →Sponsor Impact Calculator
Shows exactly what a dollar amount does across any AAF program. Intakes prevented, surgeries funded, families stabilized, taxpayer savings generated. Available on Google Play.
Get on Google PlayPartner With AAF
Three partnership levels (Network, Prevention, Impact) available for shelters, vet clinics, landlords, corporate sponsors, and government agencies. Every partnership starts with a conversation.
See partnership options →Pet Resume Template
A blank, fillable pet profile template. Document your pet's vaccinations, training, behavior history, and responsible ownership in a format designed to give landlords the information they need to say yes.
Download the Template →Landlord Onboarding Kit
Five-page guide for property managers: the business case for pet-inclusive policies, AWRN services, breed research, a 10-item anti-damage prevention checklist, and "When to Call AAF" scenarios.
Learn about our landlord program →Prevention by the Numbers
Alabama taxpayers fund an estimated $35 to $50 million annually in reactive animal control. First-month intake cost: $250 to $450 per animal (ASPCA). Ongoing shelter housing: approximately $31 per day (ASPCA). Prevention changes those numbers.
Read the full FAQ →Community Cats Central
AAF founder BJ Adkins joins Stacy LeBaron on the Community Cats Central podcast to discuss prevention infrastructure and the AWRN model. Episode airs April 14, 2026.
Visit Community Cats CentralSPARC Messaging Tools
Supporting People and Animal Relationships for Change. Their three-part framework (stick to facts, flip the script, talk about systems) aligns with how AAF communicates about pet surrender.
Visit SPARCNot Sure Where to Start?
Call or email us. We will point you in the right direction.