Anne Arundel County Animal Services

07/05/2025

BIG NEWS! Effective today, Anne Arundel County Animal Care & Control is now the Department of Animal Services. We are no longer a bureau within the Police Department. Instead, Animal Services is a stand-alone county department!

Residents can be assured that our core services will remain in place. Animal Services Officers will continue with their current duties. Programs including adoption, foster, and Paws Around Town will continue as usual.

Animal Services will continue to work cooperatively with the Police Department. We will assist them when needed, and vice-versa. That includes the vital service of Police Officers bringing found pets into our facility after hours.

The new department was proposed by County Executive Steuart Pittman and unanimously approved by the County Council, which also added additional staff and funding to the shelter's 2025-2026 fiscal year budget to aid in the transition.

07/04/2025

Adoptable Leisure Suit Larry here to remind you and your furry friends how to stay safe during 4th of July celebrations! 🎆

Though celebrations with family and friends can be a blast, it is important to remember that our animal friends can deal with additional stress during this time so it helps to take extra precautions to keep them safe and happy.🐱🐶

🐾Always keep your pet on a leash if not in your own securely fenced yard.
🐾Keeping pets indoors after dark when fireworks are happening is always ideal.
🐾For any cookout celebrations, make sure to ask guests to play with your dog far away from the grill and only give them pet safe foods and treats.
🐾Make sure pets are safely indoors during any personal firework lighting or sparkler use.
🐾Monitor the temperature outside and make sure your pets have access to fresh water and shade at all times. Keep an eye out for any signs out heat exhaustion like excess panting, collapsing, trembling, or disorientation.
🐾Be sure your pets are wearing up-to-date, visible ID tags and/or are microchipped. Also make sure you have a recent photo of your pet just in case an emergency does occur.

✨Everyone here at Anne Arundel County Animal Care and Control wish you and your pets a safe and happy holiday! As a reminder, we are closed today but will be open again tomorrow for regular hours from 10am to 3pm.✨

‼️Right now we are experiencing a space crisis with adoptable pets in need of homes, so we ask that you consider inviting a pet in need into your home this summer. Take safety conscious Leisure Suit Larry for example! This goofy pup is about 1-year-old and the perfect medium sized boy at 45 pounds. Leisure Suit Larry is known around the shelter not just for his unique name, but also for his jolly attitude and affectionate nature. He is bound to make any family happy as can be and fill your life with so much fun!

Not able to adopt? Share our posts to help get the word out about our needs right now!

07/03/2025

We will be closed tomorrow, July 4th, in observance of the Holidays! If you have any questions, concerns, or needs during this time, please refer to the number attached. Remember to exercise caution with your pets as fireworks can be very scary and lead to many pets running away in fear and getting lost!

06/28/2025

🚩Space Crisis at our Shelter!🚩

For adoptable Harley Knower, the past 115 days have been spent in a small kennel here at our shelter and, sadly, she is just one of the many long term residents we have here waiting to finally find a family to call their own.❤️‍🩹

Thanks to our amazing volunteers and our recently introduced Paws Around Town Program, Harley has had regular adventures and breaks outside of her kennel, never failing to bring out her big, goofy grin. Though we work hard to maintain a positive attitude, especially around our furry friends, the outlook at our shelter has been tough in recent weeks. With few adoptions and lots of stray dogs and cats coming in every day, we are running out of space to house them all.

We have been able to scrape by with the help of fosters and other rescue organizations, but are in desperate need of permanent homes for the many pets we have in our care. With 26 cats coming in today, we are faced with the challenge of setting up new, smaller kennels to make sure they all have somewhere to stay. Time spent in the shelter is stressful for any animal, but when cats are being moved into smaller spaces and dogs get less time out on walks, it is impossible not to be concerned for the wellbeing of all the pets here.

If you are able to help us at this time in any way, whether that be adopting, fostering, donating, or just sharing this post - we appreciate it all. Please take this time to consider saving the life of a shelter pet and know that everything you do makes a difference.

Thinking of stopping by? Don’t forget, we are open tomorrow, Sunday the 29th from 10am to 3pm. We are closed Monday but open again for regular business hours starting Tuesday. Right now, all adoption fees are waived for our pets in need as well so it is the perfect time to take home your new baby!

06/28/2025

Don't forget - we are OPEN TOMORROW, Sunday the 29th from 10am to 3pm! Right now, all fees are waived for our adoptions and we are currently overflowing with adoptable pets of all kinds, sizes, and personalities.

We have limited room to house more pets and really hope everyone looking to add a furry friend to their family will consider adopting and at least stop by to meet the amazing pets we have here ready to go home with you!

06/27/2025

Kitten Overload‼️
Tomorro we hav over fifteen babee kittins here and redy to find a hom! If evereone could pwease come adopt a adorabul kitten this weekeend that wood be awwsum🤩🐱🎉🐾🌈

In fact, we have so many kittens here at the shelter, that we have even started offering them positions on staff. Like little Tik Tok here who is our new social media intern (please excuse any typos, she is only two months old). The good news is that we are open tomorrow AND Sunday for adoptions from 10am to 3pm and have so many amazing volunteers and staff at the ready to help match you with the perfect pet for your family.

If you have been thinking about adopting a new feline member of the family, now is the perfect time! We have kittens and cats of all ages and personalities ready and excited to meet you. Though our shelter has multiple rooms available for cats and kittens, we are running out of space to house them all because we have so many homeless babies looking for homes. Not able to adopt right now? Consider fostering to make room for us to save more lives and apply today using https://www.aacounty.org/animal-control/pet-adoption-fostering

06/25/2025

After 74 days at the shelter, adoptable Holstein is trying out some pretty inventive poses for his most recent photoshoot to see if he can finally find the family he’s been waiting for. If his adorable, goofy face hasn’t won you over then you just have to hear what a darling this boy is!🐱📸

Holstein is one of our older shelter residents at around 12 years old and is looking for a family who are into distinguished gentlemen with lots of beautiful white fur. Since Holstein has been at the shelter for over 70 days now, staff and volunteers alike have gotten to know him well and always make time to spend with this special little man. Holstein is incredibly social and is happy to say hello to anyone new who stops by. He is also an affectionate kitty, who loves a good lap to curl up more than anything else.

Though summertime is filled with rambunctious and rowdy kittens coming into the shelter, it is the older kitties who stay with us for a while that truly steal our hearts - and hopefully yours too! Holstein promises his new family that he will always play politely with his toys, clean his whiskers after eating, and, most importantly, give you endless love and affection. 💕

Is Holstein the cat you’ve been looking for? Come meet Holstein today or the rest of our adoptable pets or check out everyone here on our website by visiting https://www.aacounty.org/animal-control/pet-adoption-fostering/animals-our-shelter

06/24/2025

06/23/2025

A Severe Weather Animal Alert is in effect and will REMAIN in effect while cooling centers are open in the County.

Dogs cannot be tethered when the temperature exceeds 89 degrees.

Please keep pets indoors and when walking dogs, be aware that pavement is very hot. Walks are best done early and later in the day, and of shorter duration.

06/21/2025

Meet some of our friendly adoptable cats! Open today until 3pm!