In October, the La Plata County Humane Society shelter saw a 100% increase in the number of pets needing our help. We currently have 193 dogs and cats in our care. If you are thinking about adding a furry friend to your family, please consider coming in to adopt; there are many loving pets ready for you to take home today!
As the only open-admission shelter in La Plata County, LPCHS is the only place that can accept all the vulnerable pets in our community. While local rescues play an important role in rehoming pets, they do not have the capacity to take in large numbers of animals at once. In fact, LPCHS helps roughly the same number of pets in a single month that a smaller rescue might care for in an entire year. That’s why, in times like these when the community needs extra help, we are ready to step up.
LPCHS can easily shelter 63 dogs and 48 cats at a time. When the number of animals exceeds that, as it did in October, we rely on our backup kennels and the dedication of our 200 volunteer foster families. These foster families care for kittens and puppies that are too young to adopt, as well as pets that need a break from the shelter environment. Their support allows us to provide essential care to every pet, even during periods of high intake.
On average, a shelter pet stays with us for about 16 days. During that time, we are required by the Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act to provide a full range of services, including safe and clean housing, food and water, veterinary care, vaccinations, spay or neuter surgery, behavior assessments, grooming, and enrichment. These standards should be followed by all PACFA-licensed shelters and rescues in Colorado, ensuring that every animal receives professional and humane care.
Providing this mandated care costs an average of $4,600 per day. If you were to break that amount down today, it would work out to just about $24 per pet per day. This small amount not only ensures that every pet in our care is healthy, safe and ready for a loving home but it also helps to maintain healthy pet populations and prevent rabies in our community.
We could not provide these essential services without the support of the whole community. LPCHS receives funding through city and county contracts, adoption and service fees, thrift store revenues, grants and the generosity of individual donors. Every dollar, volunteer hour and adoption directly contributes to protecting, returning and rehoming vulnerable pets in our community, even when we have a huge and sudden increase in community need.
Thank you to everyone who supports LPCHS, whether by adopting, volunteering, donating or shopping at the thrift store. Your involvement makes it possible for us to care for every pet that comes through our doors and to continue being the reliable safety net our community depends on.
For more information about our services, please visit our website at www.lpchs.org or stop by our shelter and thrift store at 1111 South Camino del Rio, just north of Walmart.
Julie Dreyfuss is executive director of La Plata County Humane Society.
