Baltimore County's animal shelter grapples with influx of animals hoping for homes
BALDWIN, Md. -- Baltimore County's animal shelter is over capacity. Now, county leaders are calling on families looking for pets to adopt or foster from them.
At Baltimore County Animal Service's shelter in Baldwin, the largest population is dogs. The adoptable dog room has room for 27 dogs, but right now there are 41 dogs eager to find a home.
In the first three months of 2023, the shelter got more than 1,400 dogs and cats, according to stats from BCAS and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski,
On average, that's about 16 dogs and cats a day.
There has been a large increase in strays turning up at the shelter. There have been hundreds of pet surrenders as well.
"This is not the choice they want to make. They're bringing these animals in because they're having a hardship in their family," said BCAS chief Carrie McCloskey. "They're bringing them to us to help find the best home for them."
The BCAS shelter is the county's only open-access animal shelter, which means it has to accept any and all animals—even if they're already overcapacity.
So, the shelter is also housing rabbits, lizards, and a wealth of other species.
"Just last month, someone left a bag with seven snakes outside in front of a business," Olsewski said. "They ended up right here [at the shelter]/"
To help adopting a dog in particular a little easier, the shelter is waiving dog adoption fees through Sunday, which is National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day. Fees for dogs total up to $50.
However, there are other benefits to adopting from Baltimore County.
"When they adopt an animal with us, they're already spayed and neutered," McCloskey. "They're fully vaccinated with rabies vaccines as well, and they are de-wormed, microchipped, and they get a county license if they live in the county."
To adopt, McCloskey said all someone needs to bring is their ID. If you want to check out what's up for adoption before going to the shelter, you're able to look online here.