You can help a cat celebrate Independence Day this week -- even give a cat its independence -- at both the Maryland SPCA and BARCS.

The two shelters have teamed up to hold "Cat Independence Days" on Saturday, July 5 and Sunday, July 6 -- two days when cats can be adopted for the unusually low, and highly patriotic price of $17.76. The offer applies to cats four months of age and older.

“Animal shelters have many more cats in the summer,” explained Aileen Gabbey, Maryland SPCA’s executive director. “We want cats to gain their independence -- a loving new home -- this weekend.”

“Animals are given up for many reasons, including people moving who are unable to take their pet with them because of landlord restrictions,” said Jennifer Mead-Brause, director of BARCS (Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter). “This is happening more with the number of home foreclosures on the rise.”

As a result, more adult cats are showing up -- and adopting an adult cat can have advantages.

“Adult cats have lots of love to give, and they have outgrown some behaviors that can be challenging with kittens,” says Allison Nozemack, the SPCA’s Behavior Manager. “Most adult cats are already litterbox trained, and they are much calmer.”

Cats adopted from both The Maryland SPCA and BARCS include spay/neuter surgery and are up-to-date on vaccinations. BARCS is located at 301 Stockholm Street. Hours for adoptions this Saturday and Sunday are from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Maryland SPCA is located at 3300 Falls Road. Hours for adoptions this weekend are noon to 3:30 p.m.

(AP Photo)

Posted by John Woestendiek at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

We ran across this sweet girl yesterday while visiting the Milk-Bone-mobile in Patterson Park.

Her name is Missy Moo, and she's available for adoption from the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS).

Two BARCS volunteers brought Missy Moo to the function, in hopes of finding her a home. She's a one-year-old terrier mix, house-trained, seemed to get along great with other dogs and hits it off immediately with most humans -- if how close we came to taking her home was any indication.

She's also entered in the Milk-Bone spokesdog contest, so here's your chance to adopt a potential celebrity.

She has one bad habit, BARCS volunteers says -- and it's the reason she was surrendered to the shelter. She tends to chase cars. (Imagine how far she'd chase the Milk-Bone-mobile, seen in the background.)

She'd make someone a great indoor dog, though. For more information about Missy Moo, call or visit BARCS, 301 Stockholm St.. The phone number is 410-396-4695.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 9:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Our latest addition to Adoption Alley is Lyric, a Great Dane we met last weekend at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis.

The Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League, or MAGDRL, was holding an event there to raise money to care for the Great Danes and Great Dane mixes it rescues and keeps in foster care until permanent homes can be found.

If you haven't been to Quiet Waters, which has both a dog park and a dog beach, it's well worth the drive.

And if you've never met a Great Dane, meet one. Lyric, gentle and gigantic, was a sweetheart, and the danes we ran into at the dog beach -- they somehow manage to be, at once, gangly and aristocratic -- were as well-behaved as they could be.

We're happy to report that we're batting 1,000 at Adoption Alley: Every animal we've featured -- Lyric is the fifth -- has been adopted. To see them, click on the Adoption Alley link in the right side rail of this page. Adoption Alley is also becoming one of our official categories (they're also on the right side rail, down a ways), so this and future entries can be found there as well.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 2:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Every now and then, the Mutts blog features an animal in need of a home.

Granted, we'd slacked up a bit since August, but we were on leave and in Montana.

Now that we're back and picking up the pace, we hope to bring you at least one creature a month from the Baltimore area that needs a place to live.

Hasbro is our latest addition to Adoption Alley -- you can find the link to the previous adoptable (and adopted) pets we featured in the rail to the right.

At 5-years-old, Hasbro is a calm and sweet terrier-Rottweiler mix, who'd probably best fit in at a home without young children, the SPCA of Maryland says. He'd make an exceptional dog for someone with a more settled lifestyle.

Here's a closer look at him:

Posted by John Woestendiek at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)