First State-Wide Cat Adoption Event Exceeds Goal

2,395 Cats and Kittens Find Homes During Month-Long Maryland 2,000 Adoption Promotion

For Immediate Release

Contact: Erin Long, Marketing Coordinator
Humane Society of Harford County
410-836-1090, x106
erin@harfordshelter.org

Fallston, MD (August 3, 2017) – Eighteen Maryland animal shelters exceeded their combined goal and found new homes for 2,395 homeless cats and kittens in July during the inaugural, statewide Maryland 2,000 Saving Lives Across Maryland adoption promotion organized by Baltimore County Animal Services, Baltimore Humane Society, BARCS and the Maryland SPCA—all members of the Baltimore Animal Welfare Alliance (BAWA). Locally, the Humane Society of Harford County (HSHC) found homes for 180 of its felines.

“Partnering with the other shelters for the Maryland 2,000 make a huge impact on our adoption success when we were suddenly overwhelmed with a couple hundred cats and kittens from several large hoarding situations,” said Cat Kelly, shelter operations director at HSHC. “We needed to make space for all the new arrivals and save many innocent lives in just a very short time, so this adoption promotion was very important!”

While regular adoption procedures at all participating shelters still applied, each participating shelter waived their adoption fees for cats and kittens beginning on July 1 and continued through July 31 with a goal of finding homes for at least 2,000 cats and kittens.

The following Maryland animal shelters participated in the Maryland 2,000:

  • Animal Welfare League of Queen Anne’s County
  • Anne Arundel County Animal Control
  • Baltimore County Animal Services
  • Baltimore Humane Society
  • Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS)
  • Caroline County Humane Society
  • Cecil County Animal Services
  • City of College Park Animal Control
  • Frederick County Division of Animal Control & Adoptions
  • Howard County Animal Control & Adoption Center
  • Humane Society of Carroll County
  • Humane Society of Harford County
  • Humane Society of Kent County
  • Humane Society of Washington County
  • Maryland SPCA
  • Prince George County Animal Services Division
  • Talbot Humane Society
  • Tri County Animal Shelter

Cat Hospital At Towson (CHAT), the sponsor for the Maryland 2,000, provided swag bags and free cat exam certificates for adopters who adopted from any of the BAWA shelters. In Harford County, Cat Sense Feline Hospital & Boarding, Inc. provided certificates for a free first physical exam at their location on Main Street in Bel Air.

About the Humane Society of Harford County
The Humane Society of Harford County, Inc., is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to the welfare and well-being of the approximately 4,500 animals that come to us each year. We promote the kind treatment of homeless, stray and abandoned animals by providing shelter, care, adoptions, and community education. We are not a county agency nor are we affiliated with any national or regional organization. Your tax-deductible donations, bequests, and proceeds from events are crucial to our life-saving efforts on behalf of the animals of our community.

About the Baltimore Animal Welfare Alliance (BAWA)
In order to better serve the animals and people of the Baltimore community, the major animal welfare organizations in Baltimore— Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS), Baltimore County Animal Services, Baltimore Humane Society and the Maryland SPCA, came together to form the Baltimore Animal Welfare Alliance (BAWA) in 2008. The founding organizations work together to save animals’ lives. Joint efforts include adoption events, spaying and neutering animals, and transporting animals in need from one shelter to another so that fewer pets are euthanized.