Starting Jan. 13, all Baltimore County residents will be able to get their dogs and cats spayed or neutered at the county animal shelter, even if they adopted the pet elsewhere, officials announced this week.
The county also plans to reduce the adoption fee for cats to $50, down from $65. The adoption fee for dogs will remain $65. The cost includes vaccinations, sterilization, a license and a microchip.
The animal shelter in Baldwin only began offering sterilization services a month ago, after the county installed a temporary trailer with an operating room.
The fee for sterilization only also will be $65 for a dog and $50 for a cat. If a pet has a license from the county, the resident will get a $10 discount, a county spokeswoman said. If the pet already has a microchip that was implanted by the county, the resident will get a $25 discount.
The license must have been received within the past six months to get the discount, officials said.
In addition to those discounts, the county plans to hold "Deep Discount Days" periodically, offering up to a 50 percent discount on the adoption fees.
In October, County Executive Kevin Kamenetz announced that the county is planning to build a new $5 million shelter to replace the current one.
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