Pueblo Animal Services seeks more money from government

Animal welfare services in the city and county of Pueblo could be lost if a disagreement over the budget isn’t worked out.

The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region (HSPPR), headquartered in Colorado Springs, runs Pueblo Animal Services.

A spokeswoman for the group said there’s been no increase in yearly funding for the last four years despite growing needs.

“There’s a higher animal intake per-capita in Pueblo than there is anywhere else in Colorado so we have a much higher animal population,” said Jan McHugh-Smith, CEO for the organization.

The group would also like to add more staff because of the large animal population it deals with.

“The national average for caring for 8,000 animals per year is 15 kennel members; we only have six,” said McHugh-Smith.

McHugh-Smith said the group needs an additional $600,000 to add staff and keep up with overruns. She also said the group has subsidized the yearly operating budget for Pueblo Animal Services the past four years.

McHugh-Smith said negotiations have been going on all year and will continue to try and avoid a break in service this January.

Our partners with the Pueblo Chieftain report that some city council members are already looking into another organization taking over for HSPPR if negotiations fall through.