Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, Inc.

To report any animal issues, call 311. Once your call is reported to 311, an Animal Enforcement officer will be dispatched to the investigate the complaint. Calls are prioritized according to safety issues and emergencies. If you have already reported your concern to 311 and are still in need of further assistance, please contact an Animal Control Officer Supervisor by calling 410-396-4688.

You may also be able to report your problem online through the Baltimore City Health Department.

Our shelter takes in an astounding 12,000 animals a year! Due to new programs at the shelter, we have been able to lower the euthanasia rate by almost 50%; however, we still have a long way to go. There are more animals being surrendered each day than we are able to place into homes. Animals brought to us may be placed into our adoption program, sent to another rescue group, or unfortunately euthanized if we do not have space or if they are deemed not-adoptable. We hope to continue to increase the number of animals saved in Baltimore City, but we need your help!

Stray Animals

Too often owners lose their pets and never reunite with them. Please visit our lost and found page to learn more of what you can do to prevent a loss. Per the state law, a shelter must hold a stray animal for 3 business days for an owner to attempt to find it. After that time, the animal may be placed up for adoption, sent to rescue, or euthanized if not reclaimed by its owner. If you find a stray animal, please take it to the shelter closest to the area you found it. This will help aid the owner in finding their pet.

You can help find the owner by posting signs around the area you found the animal, at your local veterinarian hospitals, pet stores, and shelters. If you chose to hold onto the animal while you are looking for the owner, please contact your local shelters to report the found animal. (In Baltimore City, please contact BARCS, MD SPCA, Baltimore County Animal Control, and Baltimore County Humane Society). You should also have the animal scanned for microchip identification at your local vet or shelter.

If you see un-owned cats roaming outside, we need to get them spayed/neutered and vaccinated! This will help lower the population of feral cats. If you need help with outside cats in Baltimore City, please contact the MD Feline Society at mdfelsoc@bcpl.net for help. The Maryland SPCA and BARCS hold monthly workshops on how to get involved with spaying and neutering (also called TNR) outdoor cat populations. Call the shelter today to find out more or visit Alley Cat Allies (Baltimore).

Surrendering Your Pet

BARCS and Animal Control combined take in almost 12,000 animals a year. Due to the overwhelming number of animals that are surrendered to our shelter, we have begun charging a fee to anyone surrendering a pet that is not a Baltimore City resident.

For the benefit of your pet's well-being, we ask that you consider the following before surrendering to the shelter:

• Moving? If you are moving there are many pet-friendly housing opportunities available. One example is apartments.com.

• Medical concerns/costs? If you are surrendering your pet due to a medical issue, your veterinarian may allow you to set up a payment plan so that your pet can receive proper care and treatment at a cost affordable to you. Call your local vet today!

• Behavior issues? Behavior issues can usually be remedied with just a few changes. There are a variety of training classes available to you in your area. You can also call your local shelter or veterinarian to inquire about your concerns. Visit our behavior issues page to learn about what you can do with some of the most common behavior issues for cats and dogs.

• Not home enough? If you are concerned that you are not at home enough, there are many options for pet sitters and doggie daycares available to you. Keep in mind that pets usually sleep most of the day. They are very happy when you return home, and waiting for your return is worth it!

• Ask around for help. Talk to friends, neighbors, co-workers and relatives and see if they or anyone they know would be interested in adopting the animal or housing it until a new owner can be found.

• Post notices. Put up notices at your local vet office, rescue, shelter or petfinder.com, newspapers, free websites, etc to see if you can help in finding a new home for your animal. The MD SPCA has a re-homing program where they will also assist you with your pet. Make sure any person who is interested in adopting the animal will care for it properly and for life.

• Pure Breed? If the animal is a pure breed, contact a rescue group for that breed. If the rescue group does not have room, ask them to post the animal's picture on their adoption web site. Many rescues are listed on Petfinder.

• Puppies and kittens? If you are surrendering puppies or kittens, please hold onto them until they are 8 weeks old. They will be more healthy and have a better chance of surviving if they can nurse from their mothers. It is also against the law to sell, adopt, or give away animals that are under 8 weeks of age. Our shelter does not have space to raise them so we need you to hold onto them a little longer. During that time, you may also find someone who would like to adopt them!

• Never let your pet loose on the street thinking it will have a better chance of survival. Animals are like humans and need food, shelter, water and care. On the street, they will suffer, starve and risk being injured by a car or malicious person.

If you still choose to surrender your pet, you may do so in one of the following ways:

Last Resort: How to Surrender a Pet

Drop-off:

A person may come to the shelter during our hours of operation to drop off an unwanted animal. The person is required to provide identification and complete a questionnaire about their pet. Bring any documentation, vet records, vaccine history, medication, etc that you have for your pet. The more information we have, the better chance the animal will have being placed into a program.

Service Request via 311 System:

An individual may call 311 (or fill out a form online) and inform the dispatcher he/she wants to surrender an animal and would like the animal picked up. The individual will need to provide his/her address so that an animal enforcement officer (AEO) knows where to pick up the animal. When an AEO arrives, the individual must complete a transfer ticket before the officer can take the animal. Give the officer any documentation, vet records, vaccine history, medication, etc you have for the pet. This information is vital for placing the animal in a suitable home. The more we know, the more successful we will be in helping the animal.

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