La Plata County Humane Society will dissolve its Animal Protection Department next year following a decision by county government to cancel its contract for animal control services.
Beginning Jan. 1, the Sheriff’s Office will fold animal protection into its duties, although the change still needs to be approved because county budget planning is still in progress, said Chris Burke, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.
“This came as a huge shock to me (again),” Humane Society Director Julie Dreyfuss told staff Thursday in an internal email obtained by The Durango Herald. “In our most recent conversation with the county we got the opposite message.”
In a meeting several weeks ago, the county expressed no interest in taking over animal protection duties, Dreyfuss said in an interview.
“They realized what a burden it was and what a good job we (LPCHS) were doing, and they were hopeful that with the passing of the 1% tax that they would be able to fund animal protection,” she recounted.
It was not until a meeting on Thursday that Dreyfuss was made aware of the county’s plan to dissolve its contract with LPCHS. But while the decision has come as a surprise, it makes sense, she said.
The move comes after the city of Durango made a similar decision in October.
The Humane Society had two separate contracts for animal control services: one with the city and one with the county.
The city paid $290,000 annually under its contract, and Dreyfuss said that in 2024 the county had reduced its annual fee by about $77,000.
The county determined it was more practical and cost-effective to bring animal protection services in-house after reviewing the Humane Society’s funding proposals following the city’s cancellation of its contract, county spokeswoman Megan Graham said.
Graham said that to maintain the current level of service being provided by the Humane Society, it would have required a significant funding increase. Yet, keeping funding flat would have resulted in reduced services. Because the Sheriff’s Office already provides backup coverage when Humane Society officers are unavailable, county officials concluded that shifting the entire program to the Sheriff’s Office made the most sense financially and operationally.
Dreyfuss said this is a common occurrence in Colorado, where only between 10% to 20% of animal protection services are provided by entities outside of official law enforcement.
Now that enforcement will be under the purview of the Durango Police Department or the Sheriff’s Office, it will likely be less confusing for residents unsure who to call about animal-related enforcement issues, she said.
The Sheriff’s Office plans to hire two additional staff members to take on the extra workload that will come with assuming animal protection duties. Dreyfuss said the office hopes humane society employees will apply.
All six animal control officers will be out of a job at the start of the new year. If any are hired by the county, Dreyfuss said they would receive better compensation: humane society staff were paid hourly and did not receive benefits, while county positions offer higher pay along with health insurance and retirement.
“I think we've set a pretty high precedent, and I’m super confident that the Sheriff’s Office will be able to uphold those standards,” she said. “We’re here to support them with the transition, just like we’re doing with the city.”
jbowman@durangoherald.com
