What's New
New Programs, Events and Information
The Maryland SPCA always has new programs, events and information to share with you. You can catch up on what’s going on through our quarterly newsletter Animal Talk, local news coverage and recent press releases. You also can receive monthly e-news updates about the SPCA and timely animal information by enrolling in our e-mail updates. Some of our most recent news is presented below.
- The PA puppy mill raid
- The Baltimore 500: A Race to Save Lives
- Wine & Wag Happy Hour
- MD SPCA Statement on Violence Toward Animals
- Maryland SPCA Supports the Phoenix Reward
- The Maryland SPCA: 140 Years of Caring Exhibit
- Animal Wellness Days
- The Maryland SPCA's 2008 Accomplishments
- Special Thanks to Nantucket Elementary School
- Kibble Connection
- BAWA Adoption Day
- Spay/Neuter Clinic Opening Celebration
- Personal Adopter Service
- Gift Certificates
The PA Puppy Mill Raid (June 25, 2009)
The Humane Society of the United States (www.hsus.org) contacted the Maryland SPCA to ask for help this week. They raided a puppy mill in Allentown, PA and rescued over 200 dogs and puppies. Thanks to our safe new transport van, we were able to drive up and pitch in to help. We took in 18 puppies and dogs from the raid—everything from young pups to four-year-olds and Poodles to a Great Dane.
If you’d like to help support the care of these special dogs, please click here to donate. We receive no government or ASPCA funding. They need your help!
Most of our puppy mill dogs have been or are in the process of being adopted. A couple are still adjusting and have entered foster care to help them recover.
Maryland SPCA, 3300 Falls Road, Baltimore, MD 21211 | 410-235-8826 | adoptme@mdspca.org
Hooray! The Baltimore 500: A Race to Save Lives was a Success!
Animal shelters are often overcrowded with cats and kittens during the month of June. To save the lives of these animals, the Maryland SPCA, Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter and Baltimore Humane Society—all members of the Baltimore Animal Welfare Alliance (BAWA)—waived their adoption fees for cats and kittens during the month of June. Regular adoption procedures applied.
573!
The goal was to adopt out 500 cats and kittens in June 2009. We exceeded our goal. BAWA members adopted out a total of 573 cats and kittens. (In June of 2008, BAWA members adopted out 353 cats and kittens.) Thank you to everyone who participated and made The Baltimore 500: A Race to Save Lives a success.
Visit the Baltimore 500 web page and check out our Baltimore 500 video.
Wine & Wag Happy Hour
Our first Wine & Wag happy hour of the summer was Friday, June 26. Over 200 people and their dogs celebrated National Take Your Dog to Work Day at the Maryland SPCA. The event included paw painting, bobbing for hot dogs, a treasure hunt, tours of the adoption center, a canine pool party and off-leash play in the fun runs.
Our next Wine & Wag is Friday, July 24 from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Maryland SPCA . Wine & Wag admission is $10 in advance and $15 at the gate per person. Kids are welcome but must also pay the full price. Buy tickets online. There will be a guest list at the gate, so there is no need to print out your ticket confirmation. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres will be served, courtesy of Lebanese Taverna and Cabot Cheese. There is a suggested donation of $3 for beer and wine and $1 for other beverages. Special thanks to The Wine Source for providing the beer and wine!
Grab your pooch (but only one pooch per person, please) and your friends and join the Maryland SPCA on Friday, July 24 for some tail-wagging summer fun! If you bring your dog on a retractable leash, please keep the leash completely retracted at all times. If there are thunderstorms, the event will be canceled and ticket prices will be refunded.
Questions? Contact Tami Gosheff at tgosheff@mdspca.org or 410-235-8826, ext. 138.
The 2009 Wine and Wag happy hours are generously sponsored by The Wine Source and Lebanese Taverna.
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MD SPCA Statement on Violence Toward Animals
Sadly, there have been some recent cases of horrible violence against animals in our community.
There is a link between animal abuse and violence toward people.
Violence in a community should not be tolerated, period. No one wants any kind of violence in his neighborhood. We must care about our whole community and what happens to all of our citizens.
The Maryland SPCA has supported rewards to convict the perpetrators of these awful crimes. And, these are, indeed, crimes. Animal cruelty is a felony in Maryland. Because animal abusers often escalate their crimes to humans over time, taking this crime seriously is important for the entire community. If you know about abuse in your community, call 911. Get involved in your community. Baltimore police are here to keep us all safe. Support proper resources for our police and animal control officers by sending this letter to the Mayor.
‘The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.’ Gandhi
Maryland SPCA Supports the Phoenix Reward
We've committed a $5,000 pledge toward the Phoenix Reward for information that leads to the conviction of the perpetrators who set a young female Pit Bull on fire in Southwest Baltimore on Wednesday, May 27 in the 1700 Block of Calhoun Street. Phoenix was rescued by a Baltimore police officer and taken to BARCS (Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter). Sadly, she did not survive her injuries. Anyone with information about this incident should contact the Baltimore City Police Department. Call 410-396-2477 and ask for the officer in charge of the Phoenix investigation. Calls are confidential. More information about Phoenix is available on the BARCS website. Two teenagers have now been charged.
The Maryland SPCA: 140 Years of Caring Exhibit
We held an exhibit at the Maryland Historical Society from April 1 through June 21. The exhibit, The Maryland SPCA: 140 Years of Caring, highlighted the history of our organization and was sponsored by Bravo Health. A special "Wine & Wag" reception for the exhibit took place on Friday, May 8, 2009 at the Maryland Historical Society. The reception featured a tour of the exhibit, a full bar with wines and hors d’oeuvres and adoptable SPCA dogs. A few photos from the event are below.
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Animal Wellness Days
The Maryland SPCA is offering Wellness Days every Wednesday from noon to 7:00 p.m. and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. by appointment only. Basic exams, vaccinations (core vaccines), routine tests (heartworm, FeLV/FIV), deworming, flea treatment, anal gland expressing, nail trimming and ear cleaning are available at low prices. Combo packages also are available. Wellness-centered veterinary care means a pet will live longer and the family will have better companion experience. To make an appointment for your pet or to get more information, email wellnessclinic@mdspca.org or call 410-235-8826, ext. 122.
| Pre-vaccine exam | $15 | FVRCP | $10 |
| Rabies | $10 | FeLV/FIV test | $20 |
| DA2PP | $10 | FeLV test | $10 |
| Bordetella | $10 | Deworming | $10 |
| Nail Trim | $10 | Flea and heartworm preventives | $10-$15 |
| HW test | $10 | Fecal test | $10 |
| Microchip | $25 | Ear Cleaning | $10 |
| Parvo test | $30 | Anal Gland Express | $10 |
The Maryland SPCA's 2008 Accomplishments
2008 was a great year for our organization! We saved the lives of thousands of animals and helped thousands of people and pets. We couldn't have done this without our dedicated staff, volunteers and donors. Here are several of our 2008 highlights:
- Over 9,000 animals were spayed or neutered at the Maryland SPCA. This is a record for our organization and was made possible by the opening of our spay/neuter clinic. Learn more about our spay/neuter programs by visiting our spay/neuter page.
- We adopted out more than 3,000 animals into good homes.
- We transported more than 1,000 animals from BARCS (Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter) to the Maryland SPCA to give them a second chance at finding a new home.
Smooches, a friendly black cat, arrived at another shelter in April of 2008. In late November of 2008, Nichole Miller, our Transport Coordinator and Behavior Assistant, picked up Smooches and brought her to the Maryland SPCA. Smooches entered our adoption program and was adopted two weeks later on December 9, 2008. Our transport program enabled Smooches to find her forever home, where her new owner reports that she is doing great.
At the Maryland SPCA, we work very hard to adopt animals out quickly to good homes. The average time it takes for the dogs, cats, kittens and puppies in our adoption program to be adopted is less than a week.
Special Thanks to Nantucket Elementary School
We offer special thanks to Nantucket Elementary School for collecting over 2,000 items from our Wish List! The animals at the Maryland SPCA now have lots of warm blankets to sleep on, treats to snack on and toys to play with. The school held the donation drive for one week, with the goal of collecting one item from each of their 800 students. The donation drive was such a success that they more than exceeded their goal, collecting over 2,000 items for the animals. On behalf of the animals at the Maryland SPCA, thank you Nantucket Elementary! To see how you can help the animals, please visit our Ways to Help page.
Kibble Connection
The Maryland SPCA is rolling out a new program, Kibble Connection, to collect donated pet food and kitty litter for Meals on Wheels to deliver to local homebound clients with pets. In these hard economic times, some Meals on Wheels clients are sharing their meals with their pets and not getting enough to eat. Kibble Connection helps ensure that Meals on Wheels clients and their pets maintain good nutrition. WBAL featured Kibble Connection in a recent newscast.
For Kibble Connection, the Maryland SPCA accepts pet food and kitty litter in unopened containers or bags weighing 20 pounds or less. Please bring donations to our adoption center during business hours. For more information, contact Ian at 410-235-8826, ext. 107.
BAWA Adoption Day
BAWA Adoption Day was Saturday, July 19, 2008. Members of the Baltimore Animal Welfare Alliance (BAWA) met at PetSmart in Towson to promote the adoption of homeless pets. Pictures from the event are below. The Maryland SPCA, the Humane Society of Baltimore County, Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, Baltimore City Animal Control and Baltimore County Animal Control Division are members of BAWA. BAWA's mission is to work together to improve the well-being of animals in our community by supporting each other and sharing resources. To learn more about the alliance, visit our BAWA page.
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The Maryland SPCA's Spay/Neuter Clinic Opening Celebration
On February 14, 2008, the Maryland SPCA celebrated the opening of its spay/neuter clinic, which now serves pit bulls and cats—animals who often find their way into shelters. The theme of the Valentine's Day event was "Show Your Pit the Love. Neuter Him."
Pit-Fix is a new SPCA program available to low-income pit bull owners, and Fix-Able is open to low-income cat owners. We also will continue to serve feral cats through our Feral-Fix program and help rescue groups through Fix-Em, as well as spay or neuter all the animals in our adoption program. Through these four innovative programs, we offer low-cost, high-volume, high-quality spay/neuter surgery and animal wellness care to select groups.
Spay/neuter is a proven strategy to reduce the unwanted pet population and, in turn, reduce the number of pets entering shelters. In 2007, the Maryland SPCA performed more than 6,000 spay/neuter surgeries—a record for our organization. The SPCA’s goal for 2008 is to perform more than 7,000 spay/neuter surgeries.
For more information about our spay/neuter programs, click on the links above, e-mail fixem@mdspca.org or call our Spay/Neuter line at 410-235-8826, ext. 140.
Click on a photo below to see an enlarged picture or click here to view a short slideshow of photos from the Spay/Neuter Clinic Opening Celebration.
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Personal Adopter Service
The Maryland SPCA offers a Personal Adopter service for people who want extra assistance in choosing the right pet. For an additional fee of $60, a Personal Adopter with extensive knowledge of animal behavior will schedule appointments with you at your convenience. The Personal Adopter will meet with you individually and then compare your needs, desire to train, personal activity level and lifestyle with the corresponding traits of the adult dogs and cats in our facility. Call (410) 235-8826 or email bhealy@mdspca.org if you are interested. We are confident that we can find you a friend for life.
Gift Certificates
Is a friend or family member looking for a new pet? Purchase a gift certificate from the Maryland SPCA for that special someone. We accept cash, credit and debit cards. Gift certificates are valid for six months from the date of issue.
