Harford County Humane Society needs people to adopt, foster dogs

The Humane Society of Harford County is over capacity and needs dogs to be fostered or adopted.

Nicole Van Valkenburgh is becoming a first-time foster mom to Maya.

“After knowing that all of the shelter space here is getting taken up, I decided that I would bite the bullet and foster this sweet dog here,” Van Valkenburgh said.

The facility in Fallston has kennel space for 65 dogs. Currently, it has 98.

Seventeen of them were brought in last week after they were seized from a home by Animal Control. They can’t be adopted because they’re a part of an active investigation.

Humane Society staff members say about 40% of the kennels are full of dogs brought in by Animal Control.

“We still have the public turning in strays, turning in owner surrender animals, and Animal Control is still bringing animals in,” Humane Society of Harford County Executive Director Bob Citrullo said.

To make more space for the dogs, the Humane Society will open a temporary shelter on its property.

“We’re going to put up a 40-by-40 tent,” Citrullo said. “It’s going to be heated, lit, everything that it needs so that we can care for the animals.”

While that gets built, staff members are making do, but they need help from the public.

“We want to, of course, always want to give the animals the highest quality of care we can for them,” Alternative Placements Coordinator Danielle Holbrook said. “But, you know, being over capacity, we are spread a little thin and we rely on the public and the volunteers to come in and give us a hand with those things.”

The shelter said it has several initiatives to increase adoptions:

• Waived adoption fees for first responders as part of the Hometown Heroes program
• Adoption fees waived for senior citizens who adopt a senior pet
• Adopters who choose an animal who’s been at the shelter for over four months get a free bag of food and 3 months of flea, tick and heartworm preventve, a package valued at $150

For information on fostering and adoptions, check out this link.