2 Baltimore Animal Shelters Waive Fees For A Day

BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter and Maryland SPCA are waiving the fees for pet adoptions on Saturday, Aug. 18. Both are participating in Clear the Shelters, a nationwide pet adoption drive sponsored by NBC in which more than 900 shelters waive fees to help animals find their forever homes.

"If you have been thinking of adding a new furry baby to the family, today is the day!" the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) posted on its Facebook page.

In addition to bringing home their new family members with adoption fees waived, all adopters at BARCS will get to bring home goodie bags, free pet food and other giveaways.

See adoptable cats and dogs at BARCs, where extra personnel will be on hand to help with adoptions for the event. The shelter has extended its regular adoption hours; it will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 18. BARCS is at 301 Stockholm Street in Baltimore.

Animal advocates say that by adopting a pet, people are actually saving two lives, because it makes room for another to seek refuge at the shelter.

"When you choose to adopt, and not to shop, you save the life of the pet you bring home and the next pet entering our shelter in need," BARCS said.

More than 80,000 animals around the country were adopted last year during the Clear the Shelters event.

"...the goal of all participating shelters, including the MD SPCA, is to adopt out all of our pets (clear the shelter), so we can take in more pets needing safe shelter, nutritious meals, medical care and love until we can find them homes, too," the Maryland SPCA posted on its Facebook page.

The Maryland SPCA will open its adoption center from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 18, at 3300 Falls Road in Baltimore. See adoptable pets from the Maryland SPCA.

At the Maryland SPCA, organizers note that while the adoption fee is waived, regular adoption procedures still apply, such as the $25 pet ID package and $10 pet license required for Baltimore City residents.

Check the Clear the Shelters campaign page to see which animal shelters around the country are participating in the adoption drive with fees waived on Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018.

Main image via Shutterstock.