Animal Welfare
A County “Fur” Everyone: Reforming Animal Services and Putting Compassion First
Nick Stewart believes that how we treat animals says everything about who we are as a community.
In a county filled with pet owners, rescue volunteers, and animal lovers, our policies should reflect our compassion. But for too long, Baltimore County’s animal services system has suffered from inconsistent leadership, overcrowded shelters, preventable cruelty cases, and a lack of public trust.
Nick knows we can do better. As County Executive, he’ll lead with accountability, transparency and common sense to deliver an animal services system that works for people and their pets.
Transparency That Builds Trust
Baltimore County residents deserve a system that listens and responds. Nick will:
- Reactivate the Animal Services Advisory Commission: The commission hasn’t met since 2022, and should be revived with quarterly public meetings, comment periods and a community liaison.
- Launch PetStat: Nick believes you can improve what you measure. Launch a new public-facing dashboard that tracks adoption metrics, enforcement metrics, and the status of shelters and animal welfare infrastructure across the county.
- “Community Care for Animals” Hub: In collaboration with state and local agencies, non-profits and other partners, we will create a digital hub for pet owners that provides 24/7 digital resources for shelter status and inspection reports, complaints and feedback tools, as well as access to PetStat.
Reorganize for Meaningful and Sustained Change
Today, Baltimore County’s Animal Services operates as a Division of the Health Department. As a result, the agency’s field/response operations —services that are critical to protecting both animals and residents and to holding abusers accountable—are too often constrained by poor coordination among the Health Department, law enforcement and animal welfare professionals.
- Department of Animal Services: In the long-run, Baltimore County’s Animal Services should be a standalone department to demonstrate our County’s commitment to animal welfare. This common-sense repositioning of the agency allows for the streamlined response to issues of public safety and the humane treatment of animals and places those responsible for countywide animal welfare services in the direct line of coordination with other essential county agencies, including the police, fire and the health department.
Enforcement, Rescue & Protection
Structural failures have real consequences. Tragedies like Oscar, the dog who froze to death in Arbutus and more than 180 animals being rescued from cruelty in Essex in 2014, are clear evidence that the problem is not isolated. Unfortunately, the County’s current approach is inadequate, resulting in wasted resources, animal suffering and threats to public safety.
We can create real protections against these tragedies by:
- Emergency Response MOU: The County’s animal services professionals and the Baltimore County Police Department must enter into a formal Memorandum of Understanding to ensure that Animal Services Officers are dispatched as first-responders to animal-related calls, responding concurrently with police and fire/EMS when appropriate.
- Prevent Neglect: Fully enforce Oscar’s Law and other animal protection laws through well-trained and equipped personnel, adequate funding, clear protocols, and rapid response capabilities. Field officers will also work with citizens to help prevent issues, providing support when situations require tact and compassion for all involved.
- Coordinate Regionally: Strengthen cross-jurisdictional coordination for large-scale cruelty investigations and complex cases.
- Address Hoarding: Treat animal hoarding as a public health crisis by pairing enforcement with early-intervention, prevention, and supportive services.
Keep Families Together with Pet-Friendly Housing
No one should have to choose between a home and a beloved pet. The reorganized Department of Animal Services will coordinate with the County Executive offices and legislature to:
- End Breed-Specific Restrictions: For county-supported housing, these restrictions should be lifted so that families that need a home are not restricted based on their pets.
- Eliminate Discriminatory Pet Policies: Work with landlords and HOAs to eliminate discriminatory pet policies.
- Rental Assistance: Expand pet-friendly rental assistance and ensure alignment with fair housing laws. This includes relieving restrictions on housing vouchers and providing accommodations for service animals.
Stronger Shelters & Smarter Services
Our shelters are under stress due to limited capacity and a lack of support. With oversight by the Department of Animal Services, Nick will:
- Grow: Reform hiring practices to fill vacancies faster — especially for veterinary staff and shelter leadership. Review and implement practices to ensure staff satisfaction and retention.
- Innovate: Phase out outdated behavior tests and implement enrichment programs and supervised playgroups.
- Improve: End indefinite administrative holds that keep animals warehoused without resolution.
Expand Access and Reach
Animal services should be accessible in every ZIP code, not just in Baldwin. With a full budget, the Department of Animal Welfare will:
- Dundalk Shelter: Open a full-service shelter or resource hub in Dundalk, bringing services closer to the East Side.
- Expand Mobile Outreach: including spay/neuter clinics, vaccines, microchipping and the fan-favorite Cuddle Shuttle.
Prevent Problems Before They Start
Nick believes in prevention over punishment and giving residents the tools to care for their pets. He’ll:
- Finder-to-Foster: Grow finder-to-foster programs that help lost animals stay out of shelters.
- Targeted Outreach: Expand community engagement and spay/neuter outreach in under-resourced communities.
A County Pet Food & Supply Bank
No one should have to give up a pet due to temporary hardship. Nick will launch a County-Run Pet Food & Supply Bank that:
- Provide: Provides free pet food and cat litter to any resident who calls for help, with no invasive forms or income requirements.
- Partner: Partners with local shelters, vets, and nonprofits to maintain donations and resources.
- Deploy: Deploys mobile delivery options for seniors, disabled residents, and those without transportation.
A Humane Vision for County Government
This is about more than animals. It’s about leadership and treatment rooted in shared values, and a responsive, humane government.
Nick Stewart will bring Baltimore County a modern, effective, and compassionate animal services system that honors the dignity of all life and reflects the strength of our community through compassion and accountability.