BARCS budget has not been significantly increased since 2008 when the City covered 80% of the cost. The City is now covering only 20% of BARCS operating costs. It's time to update City funding to reflect the changing community needs and do something before Baltimore sees an entirely preventable and tragic loss of pets' lives. Baltimore citizens love their pets and ask the City Council and the Mayor to stand up for BARCS now. For too many years, BARCS has been saving lives on a shoe string. BARCS is THE ONLY public, open-admission animal service for the entire city. Increasing the City's share of the budget from $1.3M to at least $3M will allow BARCS to properly staff the shelter, to cover the rising costs of inflation and to account for the increasing costs of animal medical and community needs. Dogs like Small Fry are the reason that BARCS needs increased funding. Small Fry was found trapped in a Baltimore house, alone for at least a week. Her severe emaciated condition indicated that she was neglected for much, much longer. In fact, when she came to BARCS, she was barely able to wag her tail due to human neglect. Thanks to BARCS, Small Fry was nursed back to health with high quality medical care. She was adopted into a loving home -- even finding the doggy love of her life. You can see Small Fry's Dog Wedding picture at the top of this petition. Thanks to BARCS more than 10,000 pets like Small Fry have happy endings each year. But as the City's portion of funding decreases, dogs like Small Fry find themselves at risk. This is why Baltimore City needs to significantly raise the budget for BARCS. In addition to properly funding BARCS, the city needs to hire a police officer who is full-time and designated to investigate animal abuse cases, as well as appoint a chair to the City's Animal Abuse Commission. For more information on this topic, check out this Sun article that explores this in depth. https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/op-ed/bs-ed-op-barcs-animal-shelter-crisis-20230803-eqwl4w7mbjej7nro5svznwyrqm-story.html

We stand at a crucial juncture where our collective compassion and responsibility can make a profound impact on the lives of the most vulnerable members of our community – our animals. The pressing need for an animal shelter in our town is a call to action that requires the unwavering support of each and every one of us. By supporting the construction of an animal shelter, we are taking a stand for the voiceless, the abandoned, and the neglected. The benefits of an animal shelter extend beyond the animals themselves. Not only does it give every citizen a resource to reach out to for assistance with stray animals, it also provides current pet owners support. It's about fostering a sense of unity among us, as citizens who care deeply about the well-being of all living creatures. By supporting this endeavor, we send a powerful message about the kind of community we aspire to be – one that prioritizes empathy, respect, and the value of life. Let us come together and make the dream of an animal shelter a reality. Together, we can create a legacy of compassion that will resonate for generations to come.

Community cats (aka stray or free-roaming cats) risk losing their lives simply because they've made a home in the outdoors. In many cases, they are brought to local shelters where they are at risk of being killed. Many of these cats are thriving living outdoors because someone in their community cares for them. That's where community cat programs come in. These programs use trap-neuter-return (TNR) to save cats. The process is simple: Community cats are trapped, evaluated by veterinarians, vaccinated, spayed or neutered, ear-tipped, and returned to their outdoor homes, unable to have kittens. Lifesaving programs like these are proven to be the most cost-effective, veterinarian-approved, and animal-friendly solutions for controlling and reducing free-roaming cat populations. Your voice is a critical part of ensuring that pets and people in Utah County have access to these resources. Become part of a driven and diverse group of people who believe that all pets and people deserve compassion, and that -- when we work together -- we can create real change for pets in need. Have you been impacted by this issue? Send us an email to tell us about why this matters to you. Reference the facts: Community cats and public health: https://www.felineresearch.org/post/issue-brief-feral-cats-and-public-health TNR and population management: https://www.felineresearch.org/post/issue-brief-what-to-do-with-feral-cats-examining-tnr Cat health and welfare with TNR: https://www.felineresearch.org/post/issue-brief-feral-cat-health

In order to create compassionate no-kill communities and achieve no-kill for cats nationwide, we need communities to support lifesaving programs like Trap-Neuter-Return [TNR]. The process is simple: cats are caught (often by volunteers), evaluated by veterinarians, vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and returned to their original outdoor homes, unable to have kittens. These programs are also proven to be the most cost-effective, veterinarian-approved, and animal-friendly solution for controlling and reducing free-roaming cat populations.

In order to create compassionate no-kill communities and achieve no-kill for cats nationwide, we need communities to support lifesaving programs like Trap-Neuter-Return [TNR]. The process is simple: cats are caught (often by volunteers), evaluated by veterinarians, vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and returned to their original outdoor homes, unable to have kittens. These programs are also proven to be the most cost-effective, veterinarian-approved, and animal-friendly solution for controlling and reducing free-roaming cat populations.

In order to create compassionate no-kill communities and achieve no-kill for cats nationwide, we need communities to support lifesaving programs like Trap-Neuter-Return [TNR]. The process is simple: cats are caught (often by volunteers), evaluated by veterinarians, vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and returned to their original outdoor homes, unable to have kittens. These programs are also proven to be the most cost-effective, veterinarian-approved, and animal-friendly solution for controlling and reducing free-roaming cat populations.

In order to create compassionate no-kill communities and achieve no-kill for cats nationwide, we need communities to support lifesaving programs like Trap-Neuter-Return [TNR]. The process is simple: cats are caught (often by volunteers), evaluated by veterinarians, vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and returned to their original outdoor homes, unable to have kittens. These programs are also proven to be the most cost-effective, veterinarian-approved, and animal-friendly solution for controlling and reducing free-roaming cat populations.

In order to create compassionate no-kill communities and achieve no-kill for cats nationwide, we need communities to support lifesaving programs like Trap-Neuter-Return [TNR]. The process is simple: cats are caught (often by volunteers), evaluated by veterinarians, vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and returned to their original outdoor homes, unable to have kittens. These programs are also proven to be the most cost-effective, veterinarian-approved, and animal-friendly solution for controlling and reducing free-roaming cat populations.

In order to create compassionate no-kill communities and achieve no-kill for cats nationwide, we need communities to support lifesaving programs like Trap-Neuter-Return [TNR]. The process is simple: cats are caught (often by volunteers), evaluated by veterinarians, vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and returned to their original outdoor homes, unable to have kittens. These programs are also proven to be the most cost-effective, veterinarian-approved, and animal-friendly solution for controlling and reducing free-roaming cat populations.

Each township in New Jersey sets their own rules and regulations about what is allowed and not allowed in their township, including how community/stray cats are managed. The townships of Burlington, Chesterfield, Delanco, Edgewater Park, Florence, Mansfield, Medford Lakes, New Hanover, Palmyra, Pemberton Borough, Riverton and Willingboro do not currently allow for stray cat management through trap-neuter-vaccinate-return. Every township should allow for humane, safe, and cost-effective management of stray cats that is known to be effective at controlling the cat population. Township leaders need to hear from you, their constituents, that this matters to you and your community. Sign the petition and add your township so we can let each township committee know this change is needed and wanted. Resources: https://www.felineresearch.org/post/issue-brief-what-to-do-with-feral-cats-examining-tnr

In order to create compassionate no-kill communities and achieve no-kill for cats nationwide, we need communities to support lifesaving programs like Trap-Neuter-Return [TNR]. The process is simple: cats are caught (often by volunteers), evaluated by veterinarians, vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and returned to their original outdoor homes, unable to have kittens. These programs are also proven to be the most cost-effective, veterinarian-approved, and animal-friendly solution for controlling and reducing free-roaming cat populations.

This is an important issue because no animal should be ripped away from loving families and killed simply based on how it looks, what breed it is, or what characteristics it has.