A Ruff Year Turns Around At The Montgomery County Adoption Center

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — After a ruff year, the tables have turned in favor of Montgomery County’s dogs and cats.

The Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center fully reopened on June 20 for the first time since the pandemic began, welcoming in potential pet owners without appointments. The effect was seen immediately — 15 pets found homes on the very first day the shelter opened, the highest daily number the shelter has seen since it closed to the public in March 2020.

In the first week of being open 76 animals were adopted, compared to 58 total animals in the three weeks prior to that. This week’s number is even higher than pre-pandemic levels — the week of June 20 in 2019, 52 animals were adopted.

Some of the longtime residents of the shelter found more permanent homes since the reopening, too. Peanut, a brown and white American Pit Bull Terrier, was adopted last week after coming to the shelter last October. She was at the center the second-longest out of all the animals — Maria Anselmo, the community relations manager for the center, fosters the animal that has been there the longest.

“It’s been great,” said Anselmo of the reopening. “We’ve stayed very busy, in a good way.”

The shelter decided to keep that system in place even while allowing walk-ins, because it can be helpful for people to know when they’ll be able to speak to an adoption counselor and not have to wait around for an hour or two. Anselmo said that only four appointments were available for the following day, showing how some visitors opted to stick with the policy that was put in place during the pandemic.

July 1 marks the first day of Operation: Feline Freedom, a cat adoption event that will last all month. Cat adoption fees are waived in honor of Life, Liberty, and the Purr-suit of Happiness. This program is new to the shelter, which has participated in Maryland 2000, a statewide cat adoption event that was suspended in 2020 and hasn’t come back yet. When the shelter heard Maryland 2000 wasn’t being planned for this year, they decided to make their own.

“We’re feeling really great about how things are going,” said Anselmo. “It does seem like most people who come into the shelter leave with a pet that day. It’s fantastic.”

To learn more about adopting and see available pets, visit the Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center website.

See Patch’s Adoptable Pets of the Week.