Report a Lost Dog or Cat
The shelter is a place to look when your pet is lost, or a place to take an animal that has roamed. Call the shelter at 410-822-0107 if you need assistance.

Talbot Humane now has the capability to allow you to report online a lost dog or cat. If you have a photo of your pet, please attach that to your file. Another link for reporting lost pets is also available.

Report a Nuisance or Problem
Calls for services can be made via phone, e-mail or fax. All complainants are kept confidential. We respond to all cruelty or neglect calls and confined stray calls the day they are received. Other calls for services are prioritized and responded to as soon as possible.

Surrendering an Animal
We prefer you call prior to bringing an animal to our shelter in case we need to juggle space or make plans for fostering. When you bring your pet, please bring all medical records and any favorite toys or food. You will also need your driver's license. If you live outside Talbot County, we ask you to use your county's services. We are open admission and don't turn away any animal.

Pet Microchipping
The shelter has partnered with HomeAgain microchips to help Maryland families reunite with their lost pets. When a pet enrolled in the new program is lost, veterinary offices, animal shelters and volunteer Pet Rescuers located within 25 miles of where the pet was lost are called immediately. The services works even when traveling with your pet. For more information, call 410-822-0107.

Pet Licensing
Dog and cat licenses are issued on an annual basis by Talbot Humane in accordance with County ordinances. All dogs and cats over 4 months of age must be licensed. For your convenience, you may print out and complete the pet license and bring or mail directly to the shelter at Talbot Humane, PO Box 1143, Easton, MD 21601. Please include the appropriate fee(s) with your application.

Animal Control for Talbot County
You may access the complete code for Animal Control at on the web at http://www.talbotcountymd.gov. Then click on Talbot County Code; scroll down to Maryland and click on Talbot County; type in animals, and click go. Select Chapter 15: ANIMALS.

Wildlife
We offer humane advice and recommendations for dealing with nuisance wildlife. We can refer you to a licensed rehabilitator if you have found injured wildlife. Talbot Humane will respond to calls for injured wildlife during regular business hours. After hours, injured wildlife must be confined.

Guidelines for Proper Animal Care
Talbot Humane promotes the keeping of dogs and cats as indoor companion animals. When the animal lives inside the home, pet owners can easily provide proper care. If you choose to keep your animal outside, special attention must be made to insure the animal receives adequate socialization and exercise. The following is a summary of the guidelines we recommend in order to be in compliance with Maryland’s anti-cruelty laws.

Care Guidelines

You must provide nutritious food in sufficient quantity in order to maintain the animal in good weight.

• All animals must have free access to fresh water in a container positioned to prevent spills.

• All animals shall be able to stand to their full height, stretch out, turn around, lie down, and make normal postural adjustments comfortably.

• Animals shall be allowed to exercise daily. Space available to the animal must be useable and kept clean.

• All animals shall have sufficiently lighted areas.

• All animals kept outdoors shall have access to shelter that provides protection from the weather as well as shade during hot weather.

• The shelter shall be well constructed and appropriate for the species, with consideration given to the animal’s age, physical condition, and hair coat when determining whether available shelter is proper.

• Animals shall receive immediate veterinary care if they are known or suspected to have suffered an injury and they exhibit signs of trauma or distress.

• Animals shall receive immediate veterinary care if they are debilitated, weakened, or exhibit symptoms of bloat or other life-threatening illness.

• An animal exhibiting signs of disease or severe parasitic infestation over a period of 48 hours or more shall be afforded veterinary care within the next 48 hours.

• Internal and external parasites shall be controlled.

Dogs on Tethers: Improper Confinement
The continuous confinement of a dog on a chain, rope or other kind of tether is abnormally restrictive and stressful and often results in health and temperament problems. Tethers used for brief periods of time must be at least 15 ft. in length and positioned to prevent tangling. Further, they should not be of such a weight as to cause overloading or undue stress on the animal.

“I care not much for a man’s religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.”
Attributed to Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)