BARCS urges adoptions, volunteers amid "record number" of animal intakes

BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) is calling for adopters, fosters and volunteers as it struggles to keep up with a record year of animal intakes, the shelter said Monday.   

BARCS is an open-admission shelter that takes in every animal in need. The shelter said it has taken in 3,737 animals in the last three months, 687 of them in the last six days.

"This is a crisis, both at BARCS and nationwide," the shelter said/ "It's overwhelming and we can't solve it alone. We need adopters for immediate relief to our overcrowding. We also need new fosters and volunteers to set us up for a better path in navigating through what has been our most difficult year on record."

Adoption fees are waived every Wednesday, and the shelter said it will host weekend adoption promotions in the coming weeks, including "Big Dog Summer" this Saturday, which has waived fees for larger dogs. 

Those looking to foster, either long- or short-term, are also sought. The shelter said its online foster onboarding takes less than an hour to get fosters matched with an animal compatible their home. 

The shelter said it is prioritizing new fosters who can take large adult dogs and adult cats.

See some of the animals available for adoption here -- but there are more animals available in our shelter than on the website, so visit in person to see everyone who needs saving.

The shelter is at 2490 Giles Road in South Baltimore and is open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.