BALTIMORE – The Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Center (BARCS) is at maximum capacity looking for new homes for homeless cats and dogs.

The animal shelter asked the public on social media for help in finding new homes for the dogs. At that time, the animal shelter had 13 more dogs than the kennels.

“Adopt, don’t buy,” said Chris Stickel, a volunteer with BARCS. “Be part of the solution, not the problem.”

The shelter is an open intake center, meaning no matter how full it is, the nonprofit organization always needs to take in more animals.

They take in a wide variety of animals, from typical pets to other animals such as rabbits. BARCS works with the Baltimore City Animal Control Department and takes in animals that the department finds, as well as surrendered and stray animals.

At the moment, the animal shelter lacks kennels and the cat population is almost exhausted.

“We would continue to bring in animals, which meant we were in crisis mode. We normally have about 30 animals come in a day,” said Noelle Patterson, BARCS’ deputy communications director. “If we run out of space, they are at risk of being euthanized. We never want to see that happen. Our staff works so hard to prevent negative outcomes. We only want positive outcomes.”

BARCS says it relies on donations, not money from the city, to run the shelter. It normally receives $6 million a year, which is $4 million less than it takes to run a shelter of this size.

When all spots are filled, the team works even harder, Stickel says, to ensure each animal can leave the shelter safely and find a new home.

“Everyone here is trying beyond measure to get every animal out of here safely,” said Stickel. “Sometimes that’s motivating. The greater the pressure, the more we want to be here and help.”

In August, animal shelters across the state will participate in the Maryland 3000 campaign. These shelters, including BARCS, will waive adoption fees and aim to find homes for over 3,000 animals.

“We understand that it breaks people’s hearts when we send out this appeal from space, but they can’t always physically help by taking in an animal. But we can always use more volunteers here. They help our animals get out. They help them become visible so they can be adopted faster,” Patterson said.

According to BARCS, you can help clear the shelter through adoption, fostering, volunteering and donations. For more information on how to participate, visit the BARCS website.