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St. Mary's County shelter reports intake rise and 23% jump in adoptions after transfer puppies
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Summary
At a March meeting of the St. Mary's County Animal Control Advisory Board, shelter representative Hollis reported 420 intakes Jan. 1–Feb. 28 and a 23% year‑over‑year increase in adoptions tied to a Valentine's Day event that included transfer puppies funded by ARU/AROO, the board heard.
Hollis, the animal shelter representative introduced at the meeting, told the Animal Control Advisory Board that 420 animals entered shelter care from Jan. 1 through Feb. 28, a substantial increase from 328 intakes for the same period the previous year.
"Overall, during that time period, we had 420 animals enter our care," Hollis said, then provided a detailed breakdown: 183 owner surrenders, 9 returns, 12 seized or in protective custody, 112 strays, 77 transfers in, 13 born in care, and 14 TNR/feral cat intakes. Hollis said transfers reflect mutual-support arrangements with neighboring county shelters and out-of-state partners and emphasized that recent transfer puppies were funded under an agreement with an outside rescue (referred to in the transcript as ARU or AROO) and did not draw on the county budget.
Hollis said the shelter recorded 260 adoptions in the two-month period, up from 212 the year before — a 23% increase. "We did hold an adoption event this past Valentine's Day ... and we had 64 adoptions," Hollis said, and credited social media and the transfer puppies for driving traffic and additional adoptions of longer‑staying local animals.
Shelter outcomes also showed improvements in live-release measures, Hollis said. The unadjusted live-release rate for the period was 91 percent; the adjusted rate, which excludes owner-requested euthanasia entries, was 94 percent. By contrast, the transcript reports a prior-year unadjusted live-release rate of 83 percent for the same two-month window. Hollis also reported 70 animals reunited with owners, 18 transferred out, 20 returned to communities through protective-custody or TNR programming, and six animals that died in care related to a seizure case.
On euthanasia reporting, Hollis separated owner-requested euthanasias (14 during the period) from other euthanasias (24), noting the latter category declined compared with 61 in the same span the prior year — a reduction Hollis described as a 38 percent improvement.
Hollis also said staffing is improving: a new animal-control officer supervisor, Heather Caligandes (spelling uncertain in the transcript), is scheduled to start Friday the 13th, and two additional new hires are expected to begin soon.
Board members and volunteers praised the shelter and community partners. Chair Doug Islip and others credited transport and adoption‑support work by the organization referenced as ARU/AROO and by local partners for helping the shelter reach more adopters. Volunteer Connie Klein and others outlined complementary programs — free baths from WagonWash, fundraisers and product donations from Happy Hound Bakery, training sessions donated by Think Like a Dog, foster and dog-sleepover programs, and active social-media outreach (the shelter's Facebook group was reported to have more than 3,700 followers).
Why this matters: Board members said higher adoptions and improved live-release rates point to better outcomes for animals and reduced long-term shelter stays, though they cautioned that the shelter remains dependent on ongoing community partnerships and staffing to sustain gains.
Votes at a glance: The board approved the Jan. 7 minutes by voice vote and later approved a motion to adjourn; both actions passed by voice as "ayes have it," with no roll-call tallies provided in the transcript.
The board did not adopt new ordinances or policies at the meeting. The chair opened the floor for questions about transfer programming and encouraged anyone with detailed queries to contact Hollis by email (Hollis stated an email address is publicly available). The meeting record provided no date for the session.
