HEAT EMERGENCY—Updated 7/6/24 6:00PM
7/6/24 @ 6PM—UPDATE: Early this evening, after a long day of HVAC technicians working on a solution, the air conditioning is working again in our animal rooms. The unit that cools our medical wing is still not working and will need to wait for parts to be repaired. However, the portable units supplied by the city are cooling the medical spaces to a safe temperature. Overall, this is a massive and lifesaving improvement over Friday and this afternoon.
A huge thank you to everyone who came down to help us today. 60 animals left for foster homes and hundreds of people pitched in with donations for our animals and cold drinks and treats for our staff. These gestures not only helped us the last 48 hours, but they will continue to help us this weekend as we prepare to hopefully reopen, after a three-day hiatus, for regular adoptions and resources/services for pet owners in crisis.
As long as the A/C units cooling the animal rooms continue functioning overnight, our shelter will open for all normal operations on Sunday. Please check back in the morning for that official notice.
Thank you again. Baltimore’s very good humans saved BARCS once again. We overwhelmed with emotion by your kindness and grace.
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PARTIAL CLOSING 7/6/24–Due to ongoing challenges from our broken air conditioning, BARCS will be closed for adoptions; open for emergency fosters from 11-4PM; Dog’s Day Out limited destinations.
Details below.
Adoptions: Due to the amount of temporary cooling equipment throughout our shelter, BARCS will be closed today for adoptions. Since our air conditioning is still not fully repaired, we must limit the amount of foot traffic, electricity and opening of doors.
Fosters Needed: If you can foster an animal for at least a week, come to our shelter today (Saturday) between 11AM - 4PM. We have crates for you to borrow and food. We need fosters for both cats and dogs. Please expect that you will be fostering a large adult dog (45LBS or more) or an adult cat.
Dog’s Day Out: If you have an appointment for Dog’s Day Out today, volunteers must plan their adventures in places with air conditioning. Thank you for understanding.
Donations Needed: We need bags of ice, bottled water and battery operated fans for our staff and volunteers.
7/5/24 9PM UPDATE: Thanks to various entities pulling together after hours, our building has started circulating colder air. The fix is temporary and will be monitored as the night progresses. In addition to the HVAC repairs, we acquired industrial misting fans that are making a significant difference.
We feel confident that our animals are safe tonight, but people will be on premises to be sure.
A huge thank you to the Fischer family, owners of JF Fischer and PCI Service Company, for helping us tonight. And also, to all of our staff who stuck out this truly awful and uncomfortable day to make sure our animals were okay.
SATURDAY: Due to the amount of equipment in the building, we will need to assess if it’s safe for us to open tomorrow for adoptions. Please check back for updates.
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CLOSING EARLY (7/5/24)—BARCS’ air conditioning is currently broken. We are working with Baltimore City’s Office of Emergency Management for an immediate cooling solution while we await information on a timeline for full repairs. We are closing to the public today at 4PM, in order for temporary units to be installed.
We will keep everyone updated on the status of this situation. The health of our animals is our top priority.