Adopting From BARCS

Adopting From Our Shelter

Address: 2490 Giles Road, Baltimore, MD 21225

Step 1: Check out the adoptable cats, dogs and small companion animals listed on our website.** Animals with a blue “I’m in Foster” banner are not currently in our shelter. See below for our adoption process for animals in foster homes.

Step 2: Visit our shelter during adoption hours (Monday-Friday 2-6 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday 11 a.m.-4 p.m.). When you arrive, you will first be asked to fill out our Shelter Adoption Application with your information. You may also pre-fill our Shelter Adoption Application ahead of time online to save time when you are at the shelter. Your application will be processed after you meet the animal. 

Step 3: Tour our adoption rooms and write down the names of animals that you would like to meet. A volunteer or staff member will help you meet your chosen animals to make a match!

Step 4: When you have selected the right animal for you, our Adoptions Team will run your Adoption Application for approval. Once your application is approved, you will participate in an adoption class where you will learn all of the details about your new adopted family member, including their known history and medical records.

What else to expect: Animals who are already spayed/neutered and past their stray hold (if applicable) can often go home with you the same day. Pick-up arrangements for unaltered animals and/or animals still on a stray hold will be made during your adoption class.

**Please note: Animals listed on our adoption pages may still be on stray hold and pending reunion with their owners, or have an existing pending adoption application.

Adopting Animals in Foster Homes

Step 1: Check out the adoptable cats, dogs and small companion animals listed on our website. The ones with a blue banner on the bottom of their photo indicate that they are in a foster home and are not in our shelter. Send an email to the email address listed in the animal’s bio to connect with the Foster Parent.

Step 2: Fill out our Foster Adoption Application with your information. To meet animals in foster homes, your application must be approved first. You will receive an email from our shelter or the foster when this step is complete. Please understand that this may take a few days and that filling out the application does not guarantee you will be able to adopt the animal.

Step 3: The animal’s foster will email you with a meet-up date, time and location of their choosing. If the animal is the right match for your family, the foster will take you through next steps, which include an adoption class and a mutual “going home” date.

What else to expect: Our foster families are volunteers who take care of our animals while maintaining their own busy lives! This means that adopting through a foster home is often a longer process than visiting the animals in our shelter.

Adopting Cats from Petco or PetSmart Stores

Petco Canton: 3969 Boston Street, Baltimore, MD 21224, 410-951-7601 (Cats and kittens only)

PetSmart Glen Burnie: 597 E. Ordnance Road, Baltimore, MD 21060, 410-582-9444 (Cats and kittens only)

Step 1: You’ve found a kitty on our website whose location says “Petco,” or you stopped into the store and fell in love with one of our adoptable feline friends. Your first step is to email our Offsite Adoption Team at offsiteadoption@barcs.org.

Step 2: A member of our Offsite Adoption Team will pick a date and time to meet you at Petco so that you can interact with the cat.

Step 3: If the cat is the right match for your family, the Offsite Adoptions Team will take you through the next steps, which include filling out and approving your Adoption Application and completing an adoption class where you will learn all of the details about your new adopted family member, including their medical records.

What else to expect: The process of adoption from a retail location is handled by BARCS personnel and typically takes 2-3 days. Petco Employees are unable to assist in this process.

BARCS Adoption Benefits

• Spay/neuter surgery

• All age-appropriate vaccinations

• Flea and parasite treatments

• Microchip

• Starter bag of Hill’s Science Diet brand pet food

Adoption Requirements

In order to adopt, you must be at least 18 years old, provide proof of a current address, and have a current photo ID. Potential adopters must interact with the animals they are interested in and complete an adoption application. Once a selection has been made, applicants meet with a BARCS Adoption Counselor.