Service area
Wildlife removal in Floyd County, Georgia
Floyd County is built around rivers. The Etowah and Oostanaula meet in downtown Rome to form the Coosa, and that much water and bottomland means beavers, raccoons and snakes are part of daily life here.
What I see most in Floyd County
Rome's historic homes, with brick chimneys, old attic vents and wooden soffits, are classic places for bats and squirrels to find a way in. Older houses need a careful, full exclusion more than they need a quick trap.
Low ground along the three rivers and the creeks that feed them is prime beaver country. Flooded pasture, culverts dammed shut and good trees felled overnight are the usual calls.
Out toward Armuchee, Cave Spring and Silver Creek the county turns rural and wooded, with barns, outbuildings and woodpiles where snakes and rodents settle in.
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Public land and wildlife nearby
The state's Arrowhead Wildlife Management Area, mostly mature forest with several lakes, lies near Armuchee north of Rome, and the river bottoms around Rome hold a lot of beaver and raccoon habitat. University of Georgia researchers also note that nine-banded armadillos have spread north into Georgia as far as Rome along the I-75 corridor, so torn-up lawns and beds in Floyd County are no longer always the work of a raccoon or skunk.
Is Floyd County P.A.W.S. the place to call about a wild animal?
Floyd County's animal control goes by Public Animal Welfare Services, or P.A.W.S. The county gives it every animal control job in Floyd County: field operations, running the shelter and caring for the animals in it, and the adoption and rescue program. Its stated mission includes humanely capturing and containing animals deemed a hazard to the community, alongside sheltering lost, unwanted and neglected pets.
P.A.W.S. is at 99 North Avenue NE in Rome, and the phone is (706) 236-4545. Phones are answered weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closing at 4 p.m. on Thursdays. The adoption floor is closed to the public on Wednesdays and Sundays, and surrenders are by appointment.
The county's page does not describe pulling raccoons out of chimneys, bats out of attics or squirrels out of soffits. A wild animal that is acting sick or threatening people is worth a call to P.A.W.S. to see whether it fits their hazard role. An animal that has simply moved into your house is a private job, and that is where I come in: I find the entry, get the animal out and seal the building.
Where is Georgia DNR's office for northwest Georgia?
It is in Floyd County. Arrowhead WMA, at 2592 Floyd Springs Road in Armuchee, is the Northwest Georgia regional headquarters for DNR's Wildlife Resources Division, housing both the Game Management and Fisheries Management sections. The Region 1 office there is listed at 706-295-6041, and DNR's statewide ranger hotline is 800-241-4113.
Some situations belong to that office rather than to a private company. DNR says licensed nuisance wildlife control operators are not authorized to handle deer or turkeys, and bear conflicts are worked only by its own staff. A deer tangled in a fence, a turkey in a garage or a bear in the carport is a DNR call, not mine.
What happens after an animal bite or bat contact in Floyd County?
Floyd sits in Georgia's Northwest Health District, which is run from 1309 Redmond Road in Rome. Floyd's county environmental health office is separate, at 16 East 12th Street in Rome, (706) 295-6316, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The district's rabies guidance puts care of the person first. Wash any bite or scratch thoroughly with soap and water without waiting, then call a physician. Your doctor can bring in the Georgia Poison Center, reachable at any hour at 800-282-5846, to sort out whether post-exposure shots are called for. For difficult or emergency cases, the district notes that the state Division of Public Health's epidemiology branch can assist at 404-657-2588.
Expect your doctor to ask whether the animal is available for testing. With a bat that turned up indoors, that answer can shape the medical decision, so talk to your doctor or environmental health before letting it go. Once that is settled, sealing the house so no more bats get in is the work I handle.
Why does Floyd's housing age matter for wildlife?
The U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey estimates Floyd County has about 41,000 housing units with a median construction year of 1980. Roughly half were built before 1980, and several thousand date from 1939 or earlier.
A house that has stood for forty, sixty or a hundred years has had time for small failures to add up. Chimney flues lose their caps, wooden fascia boards open at the joints, gable louvers lose their screens, and foundation vents end up with nothing covering them. Each of those is a ready-made entrance for a bat, a squirrel or a rat.
On a house like that, I walk the entire exterior and the attic before setting a single trap. Closing one hole when there are four others only sends the animal to the next one, and repairs on old wood need sound material behind them before any screen or flashing will hold.
How do Rome's riverfront parks and Berry's land tie in?
The Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation Authority describes Ridge Ferry Park as a 60-acre park on Riverside Parkway with river views, fishing and river access, natural and paved trails, a wetlands demonstration area and a dog park, connected to the multi-purpose trail system that runs through downtown Rome. Riverbank, wetland and trail edges like these are the natural range of beavers, raccoons and snakes, and neighborhoods near them share that range.
North of town, Georgia DNR lists Berry College WMA at 15,609 acres in Floyd County, with hunting for deer, bear, turkey, small game and dove. Firearms and archery equipment are prohibited on the Berry College Refuge itself. A tract that size, with bear on its game list, is another reason the Armuchee office above is worth keeping in your phone.
Towns and communities I cover in Floyd County
Rome, Cave Spring, Lindale, Armuchee, Shannon, Silver Creek, and the unincorporated areas around them. The county seat is Rome.
Common questions in Floyd County
What is the phone number for Floyd County animal control?
Floyd County P.A.W.S. answers at (706) 236-4545, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (4 p.m. on Thursdays). The shelter is at 99 North Avenue NE in Rome.
Does P.A.W.S. remove animals living in my attic or crawlspace?
The county's description of P.A.W.S. covers field operations, the shelter, adoptions and capturing animals that are a hazard to the community. It does not describe wildlife removal from private homes, so call and ask before counting on it.
Who handles an injured deer or a bear near my home in Floyd County?
Georgia DNR. Private wildlife control operators are not authorized to handle deer or turkeys, and DNR staff work bear conflicts themselves. The Region 1 office at Arrowhead WMA in Armuchee is listed at 706-295-6041.
Where is the Floyd County Environmental Health office?
It is at 16 East 12th Street in Rome, phone (706) 295-6316, open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It is part of the Northwest Health District.
Can I get rabies advice in Floyd County on a weekend?
The Georgia Poison Center takes rabies questions 24 hours a day, every day, at 800-282-5846. Clean the wound first and contact a doctor, who can consult the Poison Center about treatment.
My Rome house was built before 1940. Is it more likely to have animals?
Age alone does not bring animals, but it gives them more ways in. Census figures show about half of Floyd County's homes were built before 1980, and older chimneys, trim and vents tend to have more openings that need sealing.
Why are the trails on Berry College WMA closed on some mornings?
DNR closes trails there for the entire firearm deer season and before 10 a.m. during the archery deer and turkey seasons. Hunters may not use the main campus for access, and firearms and archery equipment are banned on the Berry College Refuge.
Who does the health district say should get a rabies vaccine before any exposure?
Northwest Health recommends the pre-exposure series for groups such as animal control and wildlife personnel, veterinarians and their staff, kennel workers, taxidermists, cavers and rabies lab workers. For most homeowners, the plan is prompt care after an exposure instead.