Programs
Read about a few of The Maryland SPCA's animals and learn more about our programs below.
- Meet Prissy & Gizmo and learn how our adoption program saves lives.
- Meet Lester and learn how our spay/neuter program reduces pet overpopulation.
- Meet Taos and learn how our behavior program helps pets and people.
- Meet Pepper and learn how our transport program saves lives.
Meet Prissy & Gizmo and learn how our adoption program saves lives.
Prissy the Poodle and Gizmo the Pekingese are best friends who were surrendered to The Maryland SPCA in October. We put them up for adoption together because Gizmo is blind, and Prissy helps guide him and makes him feel secure. He sees through Prissy’s eyes. Both are sweet canines who crave human attention, but at 7 years of age and with a disability, we weren’t sure how easy it would be to find a new home for them. We featured them on our website and in our October E-News Update. After only a week in our adoption center, a couple adopted them. The couple was eager to take home both dogs and happy to make accommodations for Gizmo’s blindness. They report that the dogs are doing very well in their new home, and Gizmo has even learned to go outside without Prissy to guide him.
The Maryland SPCA connects wonderful animals to loving owners. To make sure that our dogs and cats do not contribute to the pet overpopulation problem, every one is spayed or neutered before going to a new home. The cost is included in the adoption fee, as are the costs of shots and other necessary care. There is no time limit for how long an animal can remain in our adoption program. In 2007, we adopted out, reunited with owners or sent to rescue 3,616 animals. See the adoptable pets who are currently available in our adoption program.
Meet Lester and learn how our spay/neuter program reduces pet overpopulation.
In August, a man came to The Maryland SPCA to give up 27 kittens, including Lester, and one mother cat. The kittens ranged in age from two to eight weeks old and obviously were not all from the same litter. This caused a real scramble in our small exam room for cages and foster families for the little babies. Once the kittens were old enough and healthy enough, they were spayed or neutered and then adopted. We do not adopt out animals before they have been spayed or neutered.
Spay/neuter programs are needed to reduce the pet overpopulation problem. Unfortunately, there are many more animals than good homes and people to care for them. Each year, an estimated three to four million unwanted animals are euthanized according to the Humane Society of the United States. Unfixed animals can reproduce very quickly. In one year, the average fertile cat can have three litters of four to six cats and the average fertile dog can have two litters of six to ten puppies.
In 2007, we spayed/neutered 6,858 animals. This was a record number for our organization. In addition to fixing animals in our adoption program, we operate a spay/neuter clinic that offers four innovative, low-cost spay/neuter programs: Feral-Fix for feral cats in Trap, Neuter, Return programs, Fix-Able for cats with low-income owners, Fix-Em for animals from local rescue groups and Pit-Fix for pit bulls. The spay/neuter clinic can be reached at 410-235-8826, ext. 140 or fixem@mdspca.org.
Meet Taos and learn how our behavior program helps pets and people.
Taos is a 7-year-old pit bull mix who was adopted from The Maryland SPCA this summer. He was a staff favorite because of his big heart and bubbly personality. He stayed in our adoption program for over a month, much longer than our average stay, until he was adopted by a woman who treats him like a king. His new owner brings him to the SPCA occasionally, and it’s evident that he has found his friend for life and is flourishing.
Our pit bull adoption process is designed to ensure that potential adopters are adequately prepared for the breed. Our behavior specialists monitor and evaluate the behavior of pit bulls, as well as the other animals, in our adoption program to ensure that we place safe pets in homes. We provide pit bulls with strong toys and behavior training to keep them happy and learning while in our adoption program.
Training can help create and maintain a positive, lasting relationship between pets and pet owners. Our behavior specialists offer classes to dog owners and encourage our pit bull and other dog adopters to participate in behavior training. Positive Pooch is a one-session class for our dog adopters. All-Star Canine is a six-session course open to dog owners, not only our adopters. All-Star Juniors is a puppy playgroup open to puppy owners. These classes meet on the grounds of The Maryland SPCA. In addition, our website offers behavior advice, and our small but dedicated team of behavior specialists is available for individual consultations at 410-235-8826, ext. 139.
Meet Pepper and learn how our transport program saves lives.
Pepper is a handsome one-year-old feline who was transported to The Maryland SPCA from another facility. He was in our adoption program in June and was adopted along with another cat named Ginger. In a follow-up call to his new home, he and Ginger were reported to be doing well.
Our transport program enables us to accept animals from overcrowded shelters where they might not have had a good chance of being adopted. We bring them to the SPCA, where they are examined by our medical staff and behavior specialists. Those who are healthy and nonaggressive enter our adoption program and stay in our adoption center until they find a new home. There’s no limit on their length of stay. In 2007, we accepted 1,959 animals through our transport program.
