Year In Review

Awards

We were named Harford’s Best Charity for the 9th straight year by the readers of Harford Magazine.
We were also named Best Local Charity for the 6th year in a row by followers of Harford County Living.
With their new Encompass Rating System, Charity Navigator, the world’s largest and most trusted nonprofit evaluator, gave us a 100 rating (out of 100) in the area of Finance & Accountability! A score of 75 or above indicates that a nonprofit is effective and transparent in this area, based on Charity Navigator’s criteria.

Despite an unusual year that saw the shelter open by appointment only for adoptions until November when we re-opened with limited hours, we were able to adopt 1,048 animals into lifelong, loving homes, which is 231 more adoptions than last year!
In 2021 we took in 2,196 animals, which was nearly the exact same number of total pets that arrived at our shelter in 2020. That included 711 dogs, 1,091 cats, and 394 other animals. In the last 5 years, our intake has decreased by 34% due to spaying and neutering animals in the shelter prior to adoption and also effective shelter intervention programs – such as our pet food pantry, free behavioral consultations, community outreach & education, etc. – that reduce the number of pets entering the shelter system.
Cat adoptions were up 14% over the prior year – with 750 cats and kittens getting adopted. Dog adoptions were also up 17% with 121 finding homes, while rabbit and rodent adoptions (including guinea pigs, gerbils, mice, and rats) increased by 27%!
We returned 340 lost pets (5% more than the prior year) to their families. Implanting and keeping microchips updated as well as using ID tags are still vitally important tools to get animals home where they belong.
For every 100 animals that came to the shelter, 18 of them were eventually transferred into the care of a rescue group. In other words, 398 animals left to join other animal organizations.
Due to the pandemic, our full volunteer program was suspended last year, and just 28 of our most seasoned volunteers visited the shelter to walk/train dogs, visit with the cats and small critters, do laundry and other housekeeping chores, and staff outreach events. This small group of 28 gave 4,019 hours!
We sent 234 animals out of the shelter into 37 foster homes in 2021.
Our veterinary team performed 841 spay and neuter surgeries in 2021 for cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs and rats. They also did other life-altering surgical procedures including hernia repairs, mass removals, tooth extractions, eye removals, and limb amputations.
We achieved an 88.5% Live Release Rate for the year.
We celebrated 75 years of unwavering service to the Harford County community. Since 1946, the Humane Society of Harford County has been helping people and making an extraordinary impact for animals in need.

Audited Financials 2021

Download a copy of our most recent 990 filing