Volunteer Spotlight: Carol Hyman
When I moved back to Baltimore almost seven years ago, one of the first things I did was to check out volunteer opportunities at local animal shelters. When I saw BARCS, which had changed dramatically during my 20 years in California, had a burgeoning Community Cats Program, I immediately reached out to them. I had worked with TNR groups in California so it seemed like a good fit. At the time, the Program was administered by Best Frien…
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An Adventure to Austin Pets Alive!
At BARCS, we work with many great rescue organizations. Rescue organizations pull animals from BARCS when they are in need of specialized medical care, socialization, behavior training or just because! Recently, two of our big-hearted fosters made a lengthy journey to Texas for some special cats… Our Rescue Coordinator Macy had just sent a rescue plea for Bubba, an 11 year old, black and white beauty with no t…
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Searching for Mack: A Fateful Reunion
Losing your pet can be devastating to say the least. While there are many tips and tricks to help you find a missing pet, part of what drives a happy reunion is persistence—to continue searching no matter how long it’s been. Elizabeth C. was familiar with persistence. Her beautiful gray kitty Mack had been missing since mid-November with few leads on his whereabouts. Still, she covered her bases by posting abou…
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A Safe Place for Jumpy
Our big-hearted fosters always go above and beyond for homeless animals in our community. Recently, cat foster Annie M. was at BARCS when our Cat Foster Coordinator Lesley approached her with a special question. Here's her story… While I was walking around BARCS, Lesley approached me and told me about a woman who had just lost her home and needed a favor. She and her children were literally standing in our lobby…
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Who Saved Who? Kingsley's Legacy
Who rescued who? It's a question anyone who has adopted asks themselves, and BARCS foster/volunteer Lindsey M. was no exception. Recently, Lindsey's best friend, Kingsley, crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Read in her own words how Kingsley changed her life... There is no question that fate brought Kingsley and I together. I was looking for a younger, healthy female cat the day I was walking through the cat rooms at BARCS. I wasn&…
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When Happily Ever After Is Hundreds of Miles Away
Transporting animals is a critical part of volunteer work at BARCS. Thanks in part to our partnerships with Franky Fund clinics and rescue organizations, we have animals coming to and going from BARCS for a variety of reasons. While these trips are usually pretty short, one dedicated volunteer and foster, Asta O., has gone above and beyond transporting animals to their happily ever afters. In her words, read what has inspired her to ta…
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Miracle the Kitten’s Miraculous Rescue
At BARCS, our team is our family. This includes our selfless volunteers and fosters, who dedicate their personal time to ensure that our animals are loved and our shelter runs efficiently. One experienced foster, Susan, woke up one morning to discover that a newborn kitten was missing. This scare set off a chain of events that led to a daring rescue of the baby with the help of Mike, the BARCS Offsite Adoptions Coordination, a…
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Opening Your Heart and Home to Special Needs Cats
At home, Chessie is known as “The Ambassador” for her habit of greeting foster kittens once they’re cleared for socialization. Tyr, also known as “Little Loaf,” prefers to be snuggled and carried around the house. Despite their different personalities, Chessie and Tyr are the very best of friends. This affectionate duo loves to play and wrestle with each other—on their side so they don&r…
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Kitten Season Chaos: How You Can Help
Animal shelter life is already unpredictable as it is. But all of that changes when the weather gets warmer. That’s right: we’re entering kitten season. We know kitten season sounds like it should be really cute. After all, who doesn’t melt at the sight of those teeny, tiny, fuzzy jelly beans? But kitten season--really, the summer season--brings a whole new set of cha…
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