Animal Shelter Reopening: No Appointment Required At MOCO Shelter

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Visitors will be welcomed back to the Montgomery County Animal Shelter and Adoption Services on June 20, with no appointment needed.

Hours will return to pre-pandemic times: Noon to 7 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The shelter, which is operated by the Office of Animal Services, is closed on Wednesday.

The shelter has been acting on an appointment-only basis since March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Potential owners could view pets online, send in a questionnaire and then be invited in to meet their pet of choice.

"Reopening for us is a big deal," said Maria Anselmo, the community relations manager at the shelter.

Anselmo said they'll be operating on a hybrid model — people can still make appointments, but they can also just walk in. If people do come without an appointment and hope to walk out with a pet, be sure to check the shelter's website for all the required paperwork and documents. The shelter doesn't do any holds on animals, so whoever arrives first with the required forms will be able to adopt.

One upside to the appointment process is that people won't have to stand around waiting for adoption counselors, Anselmo said. The shelter will let people know when they can speak to a counselor — for example, if a potential adopter asks to speak to someone at 1 p.m., the shelter can let them know they'll be able to see someone at 3:30 p.m.

Before the pandemic, people could wait over an hour to talk to one of the four counselors on staff. That's because time spent with the adoption counselor is crucial, Anselmo said, and the staff makes sure no adopter feels rushed.

"We don't want to rush people into decisions," Anselmo said. "We want to make sure we provide them with all of the appropriate info. They're inviting in a new family member."

The number of adoptions did decrease during the pandemic, though it's hard to know why. Anselmo said it could be because of the appointment system or because of their pet inventory, but she can't know for sure.

She's hoping that opening day will be positive for everyone, with wait times low and animals finding their new homes. There are currently 42 dogs and 43 cats available for adoption. That cat number will increase, Anselmo said, since it's kitten season.

"Everything is always a work in progress," she said of the shelter's reopening plan. "Things are always changing and we adapt when we need to. S0 this is what we're trying and think is going to be successful."

Correction: A previous version of this story stated the shelter is closed on Monday. The shelter is closed on Wednesdays. It is open Monday.