Overcapacity Baltimore animal shelter makes plea for pet adoptions: "Adopt, don't shop"
BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Center (BARCS) is at maximum capacity as it tries to find homeless cats and dogs their fur-ever home.
The shelter posted on social media asking the community for help finding homes for dogs. At the time, it had 13 more dogs than it did in kennels.
"Adopt, don't shop," said Chris Stickel, a volunteer at BARCS. "Be part of the solution, not the problem."
The shelter is an open admission, meaning no matter how full it is, the nonprofit has to take in more animals.
It accepts a variety of animals from typical house pets to other animals, like rabbits. BARCS partners with Baltimore City Animal Control, taking in animals the agency finds, as well as pet surrenders and strays.
Right now, the shelter is short on dog kennels and at the brink with cats.
"We were going to keep seeing animals come in which meant that we were in crisis mode. We typically see about 30 or so animals come in a day," said Noelle Patterson, assistant communications director for BARCS. "When we're out of space, that means that they are at risk for euthanasia. We never want to see that happen. Our staff works so hard to prevent negative outcomes. We only want positive outcomes."
BARCS says it relies on donations, rather than money from the city, to run the shelter. Typically, it receives $6 million per year, which is $4 million short of what it takes to operate a shelter that size.
Stickel says when every slot is full, the team there works even harder to make sure every animal can leave the shelter safely in a new home.
"Everybody here tries over and above everything to try to get every animal out of here safely," Stickel said. "Sometimes it's motivating too. The more the pressure's on, the more we want to be here to help."
In August, shelters across the state are participating in the Maryland 3000 campaign. Adoption fees are waived at these shelters, including BARCS, with the goal of placing 3000+ animals in homes.
"We understand that when people see us put out that out-of-space plea, they are heartbroken with us, but they can't always help physically by taking an animal. But, we can always use more volunteers here. They're helping our animals get out. They're helping them get visibility so they can get adopted faster," Patterson said.
Adopting, fostering, volunteering, and donating are all ways to help clear the shelter, according to BARCS. For more information on how to participate, visit the BARCS website.