De-Sexing Isn’t Sexy – But it is Necessary

Posted on by Elizabeth Coalson
De-Sexing Isn’t Sexy – But It Is Necessary In its “Altered Status Data Report – 2019–2023 Trends in Animal Sterilization at Intake”, Shelter Animals Count reveals an alarming shift in the altered status of dogs entering U.S. animal shelters. Fewer dogs are arriving spayed or neutered — a change that directly impacts shelter overpopulation, animal outcomes, and community animal control costs. 📉 Declining Spay/Neuter Rates in Shelter Dogs Between 2019 and 2023: Percentage of dogs altered before shelter intake fell from 33.2% to 22.3%. Owner surrenders: altered status dropped 10.7%. Strays: altered status dropped 8.7%. In 2023, just 28.9% of...Read More

Record Number of Owner-Surrendered Dogs in Denver Animal Shelter

Posted on by Elizabeth Coalson
Denver Dog Owners Are Sending Their Pets to the Pound in Record Numbers In just the first 138 days of this year, 634 dogs were taken to Denver Animal Shelter by the very people they trusted most - their owners - and left behind. That’s a 237% increase compared to the same period in 2019 (pre-COVID). That’s nearly 5 dogs a day. The reasons are complex- ranging from housing instability and financial hardship to lifestyle changes and behavior issues in dogs that weren’t properly socialized during the pandemic. But the outcome is the same: dogs losing their homes. Dogs don’t...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

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