National Canine in the News – Trends in Dog Owner Surrenders

Posted on by Elizabeth Coalson
In 2023, more than 16,000 dogs were surrendered to Colorado animal shelters by their owners, an increase of 22% compared to pre-COVID (2019) and a 9% increase over 2022. We're told there has been no sign of the numbers reversing the trend. Oftentimes, whether or not a dog owner keeps their pet in their home is a matter of resources, many of which may be unknown to owners needing help. National Canine is committed to helping keep dogs in their homes and out of the shelters. We are honored that our work was the subject of a local CBS news...Read More

National Canine in the News – Euthanasia Trending Up in Colorado

Posted on by Elizabeth Coalson
There are only so many ways a shelter can manage its population of animals given the fixed physical space they have to house them. (If you haven't seen our blog post about how animal shelters manage their populations, you can read it here.) One of the ways shelters balance their intake with outcomes is the euthanasia of dogs deemed to be less likely to be adopted. It's a sad, gut-wrenching thing to think about, and the community plays a critical role in keeping more dogs alive. In the first of a two-part series, National Canine assisted our local CBS station...Read More

Denver’s Oldest Animal Shelter is Turning Away Animals

Posted on by Elizabeth Coalson
We and our partner TABTO were provided with a copy of a communication from the local animal shelter Denver Dumb Friends League (the League) emailed to select Front Range animal shelters on July 2nd, one day after the policy changes described in the communication went into effect. The following is an analysis and discussion of changes to its operating policies the League communicated in that message. We believe the changes the League has made to its admission policies are harmful to homeless pets, to our communities, and to other animal shelters that serve them. These changes shift responsibility for animals...Read More

Dog Trafficking 101

Posted on by Elizabeth Coalson
In Colorado, we’ve got a trafficking problem. We’re not talking about drugs, or people, or other illicit things - we’re talking about homeless animals, specifically dogs. Every year, tens of thousands of dogs, mostly puppies, are collected and transported by Colorado animal rescues and shelters from states like Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, where pet overpopulation is a significant problem.Colorado Canine Importation by the NumbersFrom 2021 - 2023:197 animal rescues reported having taken in homeless dogs, of which 80% took in dogs from outside Colorado.The 10 largest of these animal rescues imported more than 30,000 dogs into Colorado from other...Read More

Community Impact on Sheltering Outcomes

Posted on by Elizabeth Coalson
Challenges Faced by Shelters: Many shelters face ongoing challenges due to high intake rates relative to their capacity, making euthanasia a pragmatic but emotionally challenging reality. Advocacy for animal welfare, public education, and community involvement are crucial in addressing these issues at their root causes. Community Responsibility: About 80% of dogs entering shelters come from owner surrenders or are strays brought in by the public or animal control. This underscores that communities have a significant impact on the number of animals shelters must accommodate. Outcome Statistics: Similarly, around 80% of dogs leaving shelters do so through adoptions or owners reclaiming...Read More

Advocacy in Action

Posted on by Elizabeth Coalson
We stand for a world where every dog has a good life, and dogs that are warehoused do not have a good life. “Warehousing” refers to the practice of rescues using boarding facilities to house dogs that may be harder to adopt. These rescues typically import thousands of dogs and puppies every year from outside Colorado and do not have enough foster homes for all of them. They then select the dogs deemed least adoptable and place them in boarding for an indefinite period. These dogs can spend months or even years in these boarding facilities where they receive little...Read More

The State of Canine Welfare

Posted on by Elizabeth Coalson
THE ASKInform, educate, generate creative solutions, and share your knowledge. Knowledge is power and you are powerful!2023 was not a good year for dogs in Colorado or nationally. Shelter intake is up, adoptions are down, and euthanasia is on the rise. We cannot change the past that got us to this desperate point, but we can change the future! 70% of dogs entering shelters nationwide are either STRAYS or OWNER RELINQUISHMENTS. By reducing this number, we can significantly reduce the rate of euthanasia in our shelters. Here’s what you need to know. STRAYS: Dogs can roam far from home and,...Read More

There’s No Such Thing as an “Oopsy Litter”

Posted on by Elizabeth Coalson
THE ASK Spay/neuter your dogs...always! Talk about the impact unwanted litters have on canine welfare broadly. Inform, educate, generate creative solutions, and share your knowledge. Knowledge is power and you are powerful!It’s really simple…if a female dog cannot have pups, she won’t. Spaying is the only surefire way to prevent unwanted litters. Neutering male dogs is important for behavioral and health reasons, so all should be neutered. However, if a female dog cannot become pregnant, the potency of a male dog is irrelevant (sorry, guys). Let’s be clear, we’re talking about female companion dogs, not female breeding dogs or female...Read More

We’re Failing Our Best Friends

Posted on by Elizabeth Coalson
We're Failing Our Best Friends There is no canine welfare crisis that is not the fault of human beings. Period.Overcrowded shelters are having to euthanize millions of dogs every year not because they want to, they have to. Dogs are being over-bred creating a whole host of congenital health problems and leading to unimaginable suffering for hundreds of thousands of dogs. All around us, dogs are severely neglected and abused, whether we see it or not. That's just the tip of the iceberg...all human-made problems, all on each and every one of us. "WHAT??", you say! "But I volunteer, and...Read More

A Frank Conversation About Euthanasia

Posted on by Elizabeth Coalson
The word “euthanasia” itself comes from the Greek words “eu” (good) and “thanatos” (death). The idea is that instead of condemning someone to a slow, painful, or undignified death, euthanasia would allow the patient to experience a relatively “good death.” We’ve said it before and will say it again, Colorado’s shelters are full, and they are struggling. In 2022, Colorado shelters took in almost 58,500 dogs, with 45,000 going into our 10 largest shelters. These largest shelters operate under the Socially Conscious Sheltering (SCS) framework and work hard to place every healthy and safe animal. To do so is becoming more and...Read More