Petition to save Pueblo shelter animals hits thousands

The dogs and cats at Pueblo Animal Services are waiting for forever homes. B ut sadly, some won’t make it.

E ighty percent of the animals that go to the shelter go home, but another 20 percent are euthanized.

Some members of the city council and a citizen group, Reform Pueblo Animal Services, are pushing for an ordinance that would move the save rate up to 90 percent. “(It) creates a higher standard of care in which animals are given much more opportunities to receive treatment, to be rehabilitated and to find good homes,” said Corina Klein, a member of Reform PAS. A petition was started by Reform PAS to pass the ordinance. It has more than 4,000 signatures. If the ordinance passed it, would put a set of guidelines in place on how to increase the survival rate. “There are communities in this state, as well as across the nation, that show this standard of care is reasonable and doable on the budget that we currently have,” Klein said. But the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region that runs the shelter, said running a safe shelter goes way beyond the save rate. They sent a statement saying, ” Colorado is already among the best in the nation when it comes to setting standards of care for licensed shelters. We are unified in our mission to save more animal lives.

But while the initiative may sound good on the surface, animal welfare is much more than a save rate.

This ordinance may have unintended consequences that would hurt the animals of our community, put the safety of people at risk, and hinder the progress we’ve made in Pueblo.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t’t take into consideration the unique issues facing the Pueblo community, including social and economic differences.

A mandated live release rate would pressure local shelters to place dangerous animals back out in the community and the requirements of the ordinance would drastically increase the cost of care and would impact Pueblo’s already strained budget.

These are all concerns that deserve additional consideration,” wrote Gretchen Pressley with HSPPR.

At the last vote, the city council was split on this topic four to three. The next discussion at the council is on Dec. 26.