Editor’s note: This story, originally published at 6:50 p.m. on June 23, 2024, was updated at 12:44 p.m. on June 24, 2025, to because the shelter’s air conditioning system was restored late Tuesday morning and emergency fosters were no longer needed.
The Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center (MCASAC) in Derwood is no longer experiencing an air conditioning outage, after maintenance crews were able to restore the system late Tuesday morning, according to county Public Information Officer Mary Anderson. Before the system’s restoration, the county animal shelter was urgently calling on pet foster families to open up their homes to the shelter animals for an emergency, short-term foster as an ongoing heat wave raised temperatures inside the Derwood facility Monday.
In a Tuesday afternoon social media post, the MCASAC said that now that the system is functional, the animal shelter will resume “normal operations” and will continue to monitor temperatures inside the building. During the outage, 40 medically vulnerable animals were placed in temporary foster care homes, the post said.
“MCASAC thanks the community for its swift support and willingness to step in during this urgent time. While the facility is no longer in crisis, residents interested in fostering or adopting are still encouraged to get involved,” the post said.
On Monday afternoon, Caroline Hairfield, executive director of the county’s animal services and adoption center, told Bethesda Today that the air-conditioning outage at the 7315 Muncaster Mill Road center was discovered that morning. She said the facility is already at capacity, specifically with large dogs, and the high outdoor temperatures can create difficult conditions for some animals.
On Monday and Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning for the county, with temperatures predicted to rise to the upper 90s and to hover around 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
“We’re looking for short-term foster solutions for them, or people who are willing to open their homes to a dog just to give them a safe place to decompress and relax — a nice, cool environment,” Hairfield said. “Any amount of time helps.”
Anyone interested in fostering should call the center at 240-773-5900 to discuss the foster program and set up a time for pickup. The facility is open until 7:30 p.m.
Throughout Monday, the facility’s indoor temperature fluctuated between the high 70s and low 80s, Hairfield said. She noted that county maintenance crews have been working all day to repair the air conditioning, but are waiting for a new motor for the system. Installation of the motor could take up to eight hours, according to Hairfield.
“It’s certainly better than it is outside, but it’s not going to get better. At some point, we’ll have to turn off all the fans in the building to get this motor changed, and that’s when I think you’re going to see the temperatures go back up again,” Hairfield said.
With repairs underway on Monday evening, Hairfield was hopeful the issue would be resolved by Tuesday. Fans were being used throughout the center. Once the repair is completed, it could take a few days for the building to cool down, she said.
Even if the air conditioning was working, Hairfield stressed that it is “always better for animals to be in foster homes.”
