Any animals that land here are very lucky! They have a temporary safe haven to call home while looking for their purr-fect family!

The Baltimore Humane Society is not just a shelter – it's a home away from home for each of the pets that come to visit until they are adopted. The best part? The organization is a private, nonprofit, no-kill shelter that aims to provide a safe haven for all abandoned or unwanted pets.  

They rely solely on donations from the public and their adoption fees to keep the place running. Because it's not a government-funded institution, the staff and volunteers are so much more dedicated to investing the time and effort into caring for the pets and getting to know them. This makes the animals much more likely to find a suitable match. 

Check out these seven reasons why we think you should support the Baltimore Humane Society! 

1. They are a no-kill shelter.

This reason speaks for itself! The no-kill promise is in place in order to save as many lives as possible – Every animal that comes to the shelter is promised a second chance at life, no matter how long it takes. Recently, in the last two years, the organization's adoptions have gone up 40 percent, and they were able to adopt out more than 1400 pets (how amazing)! 

The Baltimore Humane Society welcomes dogs and cats from everywhere, including owner surrenders, and even transfers pets in from other shelters who are at risk for euthanasia or can no longer stay at a shelter. The group aims to make the pets feel as safe and comfortable as possible while they are in their charge. 

2. They have pet trainers. 

Not only are they taking the time to get to know the pets at this amazing facility, but they have professional trainers working one-on-one with each pet and the future owners. The trainers work with the animals to help with commands and socialization skills. And if you have another pet at home, they will do a dog to dog introduction at the shelter to try and have a structured meet and see how they react to each other.  

When you go in to meet your future fur baby, you will know the animal you are adopting! But please keep in mind that your future pet, although under observation, can produce new behaviors as they will respond differently to being in a home versus the shelter!  

3. They have tons of programs.

Seriously, the list goes on forever, we're not kidding. 

Here they are: 

• Pet Cemetery and Memorial 
• DogFest! Walk and Festival event (held annually)
• Pets for Patriots program which offers discounts to active and retired military
• Low-cost spay, neuter, and wellness clinic
• Programs for kids; educational talks
• Hikes once a month with the dogs
• Special adoption rates for seniors (both human and furry)
• Foster program!

A pet cemetery, you say? Yes, it's the only one in the area! No, it's not "the" Pet Cemetary by Stephen King; this one is intended as a memorial grounds to remember the life of your beloved fur baby! If you choose to use the cemetery, you will get a customized headstone, personalized memorial stones, private viewings upon request, burial services with or without request, and more. Let your loved one go across the rainbow bridge and always have a safe resting place to visit them!

The foster program is aimed at giving an out-of-shelter home experience to the animals who are stressed out or uncomfortable while at the shelter. If they feel that the animal will not be happy staying at the facility, then he or she will be recommended for the foster program.

All of these programs are intended to make the shelter more accessible for locals, provide better care for the pets, make better matches, and get the community involved! 

4. They have a high adoption rate.

As stated before, their adoption rate increased by 40 percent within the last two years. On average, a pet will stay at the shelter for roughly only two to three weeks at the most, but this is not a guarantee as they do still have long-term pets that stay at the shelter! If a pet was to stay there longer than a month, the Baltimore Humane Society has a committee that meets to go over the pet's personality and needs in order to help them become adopted – how cool is that? 

5. They eliminated the cages and opted for cat condos and large dog runs.

Rather than opting for the typical cages which are uncomfortable, cold, and not as welcoming, Baltimore Humane Society chose to give the cats and dogs a comfortable place to stay! 

Instead of keeping the cats all in one room together (risking fights), they provide individual cat condos, which are large and comfortable for the kitties to stay in. They have room to roam, climb around, and see people and staff as they walk by. As you can see, there are multiple shelves for them to be on different levels and be as high or as low as they want to be!

The dog area was painted by local school kids (how awesome!) who did a fantastic job! The unique look of the place makes it feel more like a home for the dogs rather than a temporary place to stay, allowing them to be more comfortable and show more of their personalities! In here, the dogs are kept in what are called runs, and they are doubled up to give them privacy and enough room to roam around. 

6. They have an easy adoption process.

Rather than hound you with questions, the Baltimore Humane Society chooses to make the adoption process easy and stress-free! Here are the steps: Fill out an online application here and wait for approval, go to meet the animal you wish to adopt, and sit and talk with the adoption counselor to help determine which animal is right for you. Then, once your application has been approved, you're ready to adopt. That's it! 

7. They take donations instead of government funding. 

This one is easy and simple to explain. They are a private shelter, so they rely totally and completely on donations, which, in turn, gets the community more involved with the shelter and pets! They bring people together and strive to really make a difference. 

Here is their donation shed where they store the food, toys, and essentials donated to the shelter. 

Overall, the Baltimore Humane Society is an amazing shelter that strives to give the pets the best life that they can get! Unlike the typical animal shelter, they want to provide enough space for the animals to be comfortable and wanted while staying at the shelter. The public is given volunteer opportunities to spend time with the animals and offer them a temporary home while looking for their permanent one. 

If you want to get to know the Baltimore Humane Society better (or possibly adopt from them!), check them out on Facebook, their website, and Instagram!