Helping Animals. Supporting Families. Strengthening Baltimore.
BARCS is an open-admission shelter, meaning we accept and care for all animals in need regardless of health, history of abuse or neglect, age or temperament. This includes dogs, cats and small companions pets, along with farm animals, wildlife and exotic animals. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, BARCS fills the role of animal sheltering and care for Baltimore City. We are an essential service to our city, operating as a safe haven and community resource 365 days a year—every year since 2005. We uphold this unwavering commitment to the animals we serve through private donations from our community and beyond.
While the primary goal of our mission is to find positive outcomes for homeless animals, BARCS is so much more than an adoption facility:
We are an emergency triage for sick, injured, abused and homeless animals
We are among the largest comprehensive pet owner resource centers in Baltimore
We have kept thousands of animals out of our shelter by directly aiding families in crisis
We are a progressive leader in the national animal welfare community
We provide employment and volunteer opportunities to hundreds of people in our community
BARCS is a large organization with many programs and pieces that make up the greater puzzle of saving lives.
We rely on private donations in order to do what we are best at: giving each and every individual animal what they need—no matter how simple or complex—to get the second chance they deserve.
Areas of Impact
Our core programs, in need of donor support, that help us save lives and serve our community:
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As an open-admission shelter, every animal is welcome at BARCS, and every animal gets the care they need. The health and wellbeing of animals in our shelter is an essential part of our mission. From specialized medical needs and emergency cases to vaccinations and spay/ neuter surgeries, running a high-volume, in-shelter medical program is an enormous effort. Our in-house fund provides ongoing medical care for 10,000 shelter animals each year, and our Medical Care Program allows us to begin treating animals the moment they arrive at our shelter.
Critical programs in need of support:
Medical Care Fund, Franky Fund, additional veterinary staff funding, Spay and Neuter Program, Community Cats (TNR: Trap, Neuter, Return) Program
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BARCS is committed to the mission of keeping families together. When animals who have permanent homes receive the resources they need, they don’t end up homeless in our shelter. And fewer homeless animals is the ultimate goal of animal welfare! Most issues surrounding animal welfare in Baltimore City, including neglect, abuse and homelessness, stem from a lack of resources in our community. BARCS has several programs designed to empower our community to better care for their pets: intake prevention with low-cost or free resources; low-cost and free community vaccine days; free TNR services for outdoor cats; and free training and behavior advice. These lifesaving programs are working to help pet owners in need receive the care and attention their animals need, making it much less likely for them to give up their animals.
Critical programs in need of support:
Monthly low-cost veterinary clinics for all; special neighborhood-focused free veterinary clinics; connecting animals to our youth through BARCS’ reading program; high school vocational training program
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At BARCS, we believe that every animal is unique. For this reason, we have a number of lifesaving programs to benefit the animals in our shelter. Starting with the basic needs of housing and feeding animals to specialized behavior and training plans, our shelter programs aim to enrich the lives of the animals who enter our care. We believe that every animal deserves a second chance and betterment along the way. From traditional family home adoptions to our Working Cat Program and from foster homes to our traveling BFF Waggin’, BARCS always strives for innovative ways to find positive outcomes suited to each individual animal that enters our shelter.
Critical shelter programs in need of support:
Supporting adoption fees for adoption programs that benefit senior animals, active duty, veteran and first responder adopters; animals with ongoing medical care and animals who need non-traditional adoptions; support of our traveling adoption van, the BFF Waggin’, and its accompanying adoption events
Our Funding for FY 2026/2027
BARCS is Baltimore City’s open-admission shelter, which means we take in animals regardless of age, health, breed or condition. We also serve thousands of owned pets through programs that help families access care and keep their animals at home. Providing that level of service requires a base annual budget of about $12 million. Our current public funding, programmatic revenue, and private fundraising do not fully cover that need, leaving us with yet another significant funding gap this year. We continue to stretch every dollar and save thousands of lives, but limited resources make it harder to provide the level of care and community support Baltimore needs. Closing the gap would allow us to care for more animals, respond more effectively and help more families stay together.
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