You'll help:

• Shelter and care for homeless and helpless animals
• Spay and neuter to prevent pet overpopulation
• Reunite lost pets and families

BALTIMORE– Visit The Maryland SPCA and you’ll see dogs and cats of all shapes and sizes. Black labs are next to beagles in one room, Persians next to tabbies in another. They all have the same need: a new forever home. But not all pets are the same, and some may require more attention than others.

That’s because some animals arrive at the shelter with special needs that make it harder to find a home for them—and more expensive to give them care. Some are suffering from illnesses like upper respiratory infections, while others have broken bones and other wounds.

For example, take Demi, a Border collie mix. Demi was an unowned dog who had been hit by a car and came to The Maryland SPCA with a broken hip. She needed surgery in order to be able to walk again. Or Rosie, the little kitten who came to the shelter dehydrated, covered in fleas, and with a fractured leg.

The Maryland SPCA sees animals every week who are relinquished because the medical treatment may be too much for their families to handle. They also see animals with injuries from trauma. These helpless pets all have one thing in common—an increased cost of care.

According to Aileen Gabbey, the Executive Director at The Maryland SPCA, “We can heal most of these animals with surgery, medicine, rehabilitation and love. But it takes time. And that healing and rehab time can be expensive. At any given time, we have over 100 animals in our care, some of whom require special—and sometimes costly—attention.”

So how can you help? The Maryland SPCA asks everyone to please send the largest donation they can to their Summer Fund today.

“These animals deserve a second chance just like any other dog or cat looking for a new home,” says Pat, who volunteers at the shelter. “Yes, we have to spend more money to nurse them back to health, but it’s all worth it when you see them walk out the door with a new forever family.”