veterinary technician

veterinarian

animal shelter manager

animal caretaker

veterinary assistant

BARCS Animal Shelter

“People don’t leave bad jobs. They leave bad bosses.” I will post my resignation letter below as I believe it best explains why I left BARCS: 

I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to express my thoughts and inform you of my decision to resign from my position as Offsite Adoption Coordinator.

Firstly, I want to emphasize that I have truly enjoyed my role and believe that I have made significant contributions to expanding the Offsite Department during my time here. However, recent experiences have led me to reevaluate my commitment to this organization.

I have found it increasingly challenging to work under the current management style. It has been disheartening to encounter a lack of support, positive feedback, and compassion from my direct managers. Instead, I have often felt subjected to condescension, micromanagement, ridicule, and non-constructive criticism.

Over the past few months, it seems that my efforts as an Offsite Coordinator have been consistently undermined. The implementation of new rules and guidelines has given the impression that the Offsite Coordinators are somehow falling short or not performing their duties adequately. This situation has left me with the perception that my role is being marginalized, which has ultimately led to my decision to resign.

I want to be clear that my resignation is a direct result of the inadequate people-management skills demonstrated within the organization. I believe that a healthy work environment should foster support, open communication, and mutual respect between managers and employees. Unfortunately, the current circumstances have made it untenable for me to continue in my role.

I am grateful for the opportunities I have had here and for the chance to contribute to the growth of the Offsite Department. I have learned a great deal during my time with the organization and will carry these experiences with me as I move forward in my career.

I'm a long-term employee—one of many, actually. Working at BARCS has been one of the most rewarding chapters of my life. It’s not just a job—it’s a mission, a calling, and a daily reminder of what real impact looks like in a city I care deeply about.

There isn’t another organization I know of that is more transparent about its programs, finances, and goals. BARCS doesn’t just serve animals; we serve people. And we do it without judgment. The commitment to equity here is real, not just something written on a values statement. Everyone—no matter what their story looks like—is met with empathy and compassion. That kind of radical empathy runs deep in everything we do.

You cannot work here if you’re someone who “wants to work with animals because you hate people”—and trust me, we hear that line more than you’d think. You’ve got to deeply love people to do this work. Because you can’t save animals without people. Our community is the heartbeat of every program, every adoption, every rescue. It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it.

Of course, that level of compassion can be hard on staff, especially when it means showing kindness to community members who aren’t always kind in return. But nonprofit work that truly helps people, that stands in the messy, complicated middle of it all and still chooses care—that’s not supposed to be easy. And that’s exactly what makes it so meaningful.

BARCS has been a home for me, a place where I’ve grown alongside some of the most resilient, passionate, and honest people I’ve ever known. I’ve lost count of how many sleepless nights, emotional moments, and impossible-seeming days we’ve shared. But I’ve also lost count of the lives changed—for animals, for families, and for staff who find their purpose here.

If you love Baltimore and want to do work that matters, work that challenges you and fills your soul at the same time, there’s no better place than BARCS.

There’s a lot I can say but I’ll start with the good….
Seeing the positive outcomes of the animals are well worth the time and dedication at BARCS. You could be your true self without feeling judged and I loved that.

BARCS is a great place to gain experience from in different departments if needed, however, the managers are as incompetent as they come…. I’d rather swallow a jean jacket than to work in an environment where there’s no support. They will say they want to support you and help but end up being on vacation or “sick” when needed the most. You end up getting the short end of the stick. Communication is like playing telephone. You would only know when there was a change in policy/requirements if someone else other than management will tell you because THEY ARE NEVER THERE. 

The managers need team building exercises or some YouTube videos (as they would say to their employees) to establish some type of leadership. They give more feedback than support. I repeat, THEY GIVE MORE feedback THAN SUPPORT.

I still support BARCS in their work and community. However, never again ✌🏾

I overall love to work at BARCS. The team at BARCS in general is incredible and I know that some of my colleagues will be my friends until the end of my life. Many people leave BARCS and later end up coming back because it is such a great place to work. All the downsides at BARCS are unsurprising: intakes can be really high, days can be long, work can be very emotional, and pay isn’t the highest. For a nonprofit, I would say that the benefits are better than average and I’m glad that the management really does stress self care and is reasonable when things happen like getting sick. BARCS is the largest open intake shelter in the state which does impact the feeling at BARCS. 

The management doesn't care about their employees or the animals. The management is disorganized and cultivates a toxic work culture. There is nothing but gossip and bullying from staff and volunteers. Management does not know how to support their staff in their roles and work. They have high turn over with no opportunities for growth unless you are a "favorite". On top of the toxic work culture, the physical environment is unhygienic. People are constantly getting sick or injured due to poor working conditions. They don't have good enough pay or benefits for the amount of work they expect. They favor an environment of burnout and compassion fatigue with no resources to combat either. HR is absolutely non-existent. The organization does not have any professional practices or act in good faith and fair dealing. DO NOT WORK HERE.

I loved working at B.A.R.C.S. animal shelter, I love animals.
But the whole putting them down part of working at a shelter killed me inside. I never had to do it, the vet techs and vets did that stuff but taking care of an animal for a period of time and then coming in to work the next day to see the cage is empty and you know that they were not adopted...It hits you very hard.
The job itself was fine though.
Management was...Less than professional however, they almost seemed as if they had no idea what they were doing or like they were hoping that someone else was taking care of something all of the time so that they didn't have to worry about it.
The employees got away with too much here and the managers didn't care too much.
I would not work here again if given the chance.
The euth rate being so high is the main reason.

After working with animals in multiple areas, my job here is by far my favorite. Such a fulfilling job where you know you are actually making a difference. The work culture is the most diverse I have seen. Coworkers are welcoming and fun, management is very approachable and eager to hear concerns/questions. The hardest part of the job is seeing animals in tough situtations, but that goes hand-in-hand with the most enjoyable part which is giving them a new beginning. Pay is not high (if you are expecting more- don't work at a nonprofit) but they make up for it with good benefits and PTO for full-time employees. I love it here.

I loved the work I was doing. I learned a lot about myself and how a company can be blatantly unethical. Management doesn’t know how to manage their employees or build them into the best they can be. The workplace culture is a lot of drama and cliquey, if you don’t fit in the clique beware! HR is nonexistent and doesn’t reply which is illegal. It’s sad this is what the inside workings of this shelter are.

a typical day at work looked like being berated by the vet in charge, being isolated and demeaned by your coworkers who have the same job as you, and then having to work 11+ hour shifts every single day because they are incredibly short staffed and all the work falls on you. To top it off,  they barely train you for a week and expect you to know everything. And when you dont, you get fired in the most traumatizing way possible. DO NOT WORK HERE. They also put down animals who have no business meeting their ends this way. 

Working at BARCS was great until I seen how my manager really acts and treats her employees. She will try to give you a very heavy workload with unrealistic standards. She talks to her employees in a condescending and disrespectful tone. She doesn’t really help out when help is needed. She’s the type of manager that is not actually working with her employees as well she’s just walking around regulating and telling us to do this and do that, although we’re already doing something which causes us to be in a stressed and overwhelmed work environment.

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