Become a Friend. Save a Life.
About our group
Friends of BARC was founded in 2003 by a group of animal lovers looking to support the humane care and treatment of the animals residing at BARC—the City of Houston Animal Shelter—and to help them find a chance for a better life.
Presenting Sponsor Stephen A. Lee & Friends of BARC invite you to join us for the 16th Annual Mutts, Meows & Margaritas Celebration at the Cadillac Bar on October 3rd 2026!
News & Events
Annual Sponsored Heartworm Treatments from 2013-2021
Tons of food donated each year
Years making a difference
Avg. number of hours volunteered each year
About Our Group
Improvements at BARC
BARC is funded fully by the City of Houston and quite often, the budget does not allow for “extra” items needed in order to care for the animals.
Feral Cat TNR
Friends of BARC realized the citizens of Houston were willing to help with the population explosion of stray (feral) cats—they just didn’t know how. That’s when we decided to step in to offer some assistance.
Trey’s Fund
Many animals arrive at the shelter and are in need of a little extra TLC before finding a forever home.
Be Part of the Change to Our Homeless Pets
While BARC is fully funded with taxpayer funds, Friends of BARC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is funded 100% by donations. All donations made to our group are used to help the animals residing at the shelter. In addition to sponsoring weekly adoption events, we step in and help when the city budget is unable to support the needs of the animals.
Once a place nobody wanted to visit, BARC has gone through many changes over the past few years and has become a place where families venture to look for a new family member—of the 4 legged kind! Friends of BARC is proud to be a part of this change and we look forward to many other positive efforts to support animal rescue.
Our group has grown over the years and many BARC animals have benefited from our help—but we need your help to do more!
Donate
Become a Friend
Our Partners & Sponsors
- Ashley Ellis
- Clark and Nadine Baker
- Kelly Burns
- Christina Garcia
- Diane Hackem
- Kathryn Hanneman
- The Knight Family
- Sandy Lazeroff
- Stephen A. Lee
- Eileen McFarland
- Marjorie J. Meyer
- Jennifer Meyers
- Hannah West Nover
- Dr. Erin O'Toole
- Sari and Kevin Obermeyer
- Watergun Outlaw Productions
- Jennifer Peoples
- Elesa Rodriguez
- Claudia Schnelle
- Connie Tuthill
- Hedwiga Weatherford
- Kathy Wetmore