Service area
Wildlife removal in Bartow County, Georgia
Bartow County is home ground for us. Between the Etowah River bottoms, Allatoona's shoreline and the pasture still left between subdivisions, it has about every kind of wildlife habitat north Georgia offers, often within a mile of the same house.
What I see most in Bartow County
Homes backing onto the Allatoona Lake shoreline and the Corps land around it see more raccoon, snake and beaver trouble than homes in town, simply because the woods and water come right up to the yard.
Older farmhouses and outbuildings around Adairsville and Kingston tend to have the gaps that bats and squirrels use: open gable vents, loose soffits, and roof lines that have settled over the decades.
Newer subdivisions cut into old pasture around Cartersville bring lawns, irrigation and attics into ground that wildlife was already using, and the animals do not move just because the houses arrived.
What customers say
4.9 on Google · 80 reviews-
★★★★★
Responded to my request immediately. Came to my house, as agreed upon, the next morning and promptly toke care of the situation. Would definitely recommend or use Total Animal Control’s services again with any animal problem.
Pamela O. · July 2025 · Google review
-
★★★★★
Courteous and professional! Came out the same day we spoke by phone to give a free estimate. The next day, remove the bats from the attic, cleaned up the area and sealed the entry point. Did exactly what he said he was going to do for the price he quoted. A man of his word, I would highly recommend his service!
Rusty M. · June 2025 · Google review
Reviews are copied word for word from Google. Older ones mention Total Animal Control, the company’s former name. Read all 80 reviews on Google
Public land and wildlife nearby
Much of the Lake Allatoona shoreline is federal land managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the state's Allatoona Wildlife Management Area and Red Top Mountain State Park sit on the Bartow side of the lake. That is a lot of protected woods and water next to a lot of houses. The animals that live there do not stop at the property line, which is why lakeside neighborhoods see more raccoon, beaver and snake activity than homes closer to downtown Cartersville.
Who answers a wildlife call in Bartow County?
Bartow County Animal Control runs the county shelter at 50 Ladd's Mountain Road in Cartersville, and its main number is 770-387-5153. The department lists its services as animal bites, animal cruelty, animal neglect, leash-law enforcement, injured animals, and stray cats and dogs. Taking a healthy raccoon out of an attic or a bat colony out of a wall is not on that list.
The county FAQ does send general nuisance-animal questions to the same line (press 3). It also says a homeowner may lawfully use humane traps to catch nuisance animals on their own property, as long as the animal is given adequate food, water and shelter until it can be transported to Animal Control.
Read that next to the state rules before you buy a trap. Georgia DNR gives three routes for a nuisance animal: hire a licensed nuisance wildlife control operator, remove it yourself during the regulated hunting and trapping seasons, or get a wildlife control permit from DNR. Calling Animal Control before you set anything will also tell you whether they will take the particular animal you expect to catch.
My part starts where theirs stops. I get the animal out of the house and then close the openings it used, so the attic does not simply fill up again with the next one.
What should I do after a bite, or a bat in the house, in Bartow County?
Rabies questions here go to the Bartow County Environmental Health Department, part of Northwest Georgia Public Health. The office is at 5355 Covenant Drive in Cartersville, phone 770-387-2614, open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The health district's advice for any possible exposure starts with the wound: clean it right away with soap and water, then call a doctor as soon as you can. Your doctor can consult the Georgia Poison Center, which answers rabies questions around the clock at 404-616-9000 in Atlanta or 800-282-5846 statewide, to decide whether rabies immune globulin and vaccine are needed.
It helps to have the details ready before that call. The district lists what a doctor will ask:
- What kind of animal it was, and whether it was a pet or a wild animal
- Whether the bite or scratch was provoked or came out of nowhere
- How many bites or scratches there were, and where on the body
- For a pet, whether its rabies vaccination is current
- Whether the animal seemed sick, and what it was doing
- Whether the animal can be caught for testing or observation
What does Bartow Animal Control do when someone is bitten?
For a serious injury, the county's instruction is to call 911 first. Dispatch notifies Animal Control, and an officer responds, sometimes meeting the person at the hospital or following up once they are home. For a smaller bite or scratch from a dog or cat, the FAQ says to wash the area with soap and water for ten minutes and check with your doctor about a tetanus shot or antibiotics.
When the animal that bit someone cannot be found right away, the county says humane traps will be set for it. An owned dog or cat that bites must be confined for 10 days under the county ordinance, either at Animal Control or at a veterinary clinic. If an animal is euthanized, it goes to the state lab for rabies testing.
That last question on the health district's list is why a bat should never just be let out a window. If you are not sure whether anyone had contact with it, keep it contained and call Environmental Health before doing anything else with it.
How old are Bartow County homes, and why does that change the job?
The U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey counts roughly 48,500 housing units in Bartow County, with a median year built of 1994. About 26 percent were built before 1980, and about 39 percent went up in 2000 or later. An estimated 1,800 homes date from 1939 or earlier.
These are survey estimates, and each carries a margin of error. The spread they show still matters for wildlife work: in Bartow, a house from the 1950s and one finished five years ago can share a road.
On the older end, much of my inspection time goes to the building materials themselves. Wood trim that has softened, vent screens that have rusted or torn, and the seams where a later addition was tied into the original roof all get a close look, because an animal only needs one weak spot. Sealing an older house usually means replacing or reinforcing material, not just covering a hole.
What is happening with Pine Log in north Bartow?
Georgia DNR and its partners have announced an agreement to buy and re-establish Pine Log Wildlife Management Area. The newly named Neel Family - Pine Log WMA covers 14,640 acres in Bartow and Cherokee counties, and Bartow County's commissioner put about 12,000 of those acres on the Bartow side. DNR describes it as the largest contiguous tract of private forest in north Georgia.
DNR leased Pine Log as a WMA from 1977 until 2023. The state says the acquisition protects 31 miles of headwater streams, supports deer, turkey, small game and dove hunting, and is planned to reopen to the public in time for the spring 2027 turkey season.
For homeowners, the plain takeaway is that this forest is staying forest. Properties along its edges will keep the same wild neighbors they have today, so sealing a house properly is a better long-term plan than hoping development thins the animals out.
Towns and communities I cover in Bartow County
Cartersville, Adairsville, Emerson, Euharlee, Kingston, Taylorsville, White, and the unincorporated areas around them. The county seat is Cartersville.
Common questions in Bartow County
Will Bartow County Animal Control remove a raccoon from my attic?
Wildlife removal from a house is not among the services the department lists, which center on bites, cruelty, neglect, the leash law, injured animals and stray cats and dogs. For a healthy animal living in a structure, a licensed nuisance wildlife operator is the usual route. You can confirm with Animal Control at 770-387-5153.
Am I allowed to trap a nuisance animal on my own property in Bartow?
The county FAQ says humane traps are lawful on your own property if the animal gets adequate food, water and shelter until it can go to Animal Control. State rules still apply to wildlife: Georgia DNR allows removal by a licensed operator, by the homeowner during regulated seasons, or under a DNR wildlife control permit. Call Animal Control before trapping to confirm they will take the animal.
Who handles rabies questions in Bartow County?
The Bartow County Environmental Health Department, at 5355 Covenant Drive in Cartersville, 770-387-2614, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For a bite or scratch, wash the wound with soap and water and call your doctor; the Georgia Poison Center (800-282-5846) answers rabies questions at any hour.
What happens if the animal that bit someone runs off?
Bartow County's FAQ says that when a biting animal cannot be located right away, humane traps will be set for it. Report the bite promptly so that can start, and see a doctor about the wound in the meantime.
Is Pine Log WMA open again?
Not yet, based on the state's announcement. Georgia DNR says it plans to reopen Pine Log to the public in time for the spring 2027 turkey season. Check DNR's Wildlife Resources Division for the current status.
Does an older Bartow house need a different kind of repair?
Often, yes. With roughly a quarter of the county's homes built before 1980, many entry points come from aged trim, vents and roof joints rather than a single open gap. On those houses I plan the exclusion around replacing or reinforcing worn material so the repair holds.