The long road to adoption for man's best friend
The holidays are a popular time of year for people to adopt pets. Last year, more than four million cats and dogs were adopted from shelters in the United States, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). About 65-thousand of those animals were in shelters in Colorado. That’s according to the state’s Department of Agriculture. The Bold’s reporter Mel Henry visited a shelter in Sedalia, about a two-hour car drive south of Boulder, and found out many of the dogs there were rescued from Texas and New Mexico. Learn more by listening to the podcast.
(Transcript provided below.)
To adopt a pet from 4 Paws 4 Life, visit https://4p4l.org/
To adopt a pet from the Boulder Humane Society, visit https://boulderhumane.org/
Reporter: They say dogs are a person’s best friend. But for thousands of animals across Colorado’s Front Range, finding that best friend, that forever home, takes time, care, and a lot of heart. I’m Mel Henry, and welcome to the podcast. Today we’re exploring Colorado’s animal rescue community.
When Jesse Brown first met Olive, a shy black-and-white rescue from Texas, she felt an immediate connection.
Jesse Brown: “The first time I met Olive, I don’t know what exactly stood out to me about her, but I just was like, ‘Oh, that’s my dog.’ One time someone told me, when you meet your dog, you just know, and that was the moment that I had with Olive.”
Reporter: Olive had recently arrived at 4 Paws 4 Life Rescue and Boarding in Sedalia, a small community just south of Denver, which brings in dogs and cats from partner shelters in Texas and New Mexico. But Olive’s path to Colorado was different. Before her adoption, Olive was surrendered from an Amish puppy mill in Missouri after having a litter of puppies. 4 Paws 4 Life transported Olive and her puppies to Colorado after arranging their release. Across the Front Range, shelters and rescues work together and collaborate in their effort to give animals a second chance. According to the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, the organization cares for about 7,000 animals each year, including dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs.
Meghan Dillmore, Humane Society of Boulder Valley: “People tend to have a negative view of animal relinquishment to a shelter or a rescue. I would just encourage people to have a bit of compassion for people faced with circumstances.”
Reporter: Behavior specialist Meghan Dillmore says helping people is part of the job as well.
Dillmore: “This job has made me more compassionate and creative in meeting the needs of both pets and owners.”
Reporter: 4 Paws 4 Life Rescue and Boarding also partner with shelters in Texas and New Mexico, bringing in animals that face overcrowding, limited resources, or medical risk. Some of the dogs they transport are at risk of euthanasia in their original shelters.
Megan Hallett, 4 Paws 4 Life: “Most of our dogs come from Texas kill shelters or are found on the streets, some chained up, some with puppies, even some with bullet wounds. We drive down to Texas, load them up in our transport van, and bring them back to Colorado to start their new lives.”
Reporter: Donor relations manager Megan Hallett says the real work begins once the dogs arrive in Colorado.
Hallett: “Shelters are required to take in every animal, but we can focus on those at greatest risk. What keeps me going is seeing that transformation watching scared dogs open up and find homes.”
Reporter: For Brown, Olive’s growth has been dramatic.
Brown: “She was really timid and kind of skittish around people at first.Now, once she likes chairs, it’s really hard to convince her to get off. She finds her spot on a chair or a bed, and that becomes her spot. Another big change is that she’s a lot more playful now.”
Reporter: From Boulder to Sedalia, shelters and rescuers across Colorado are connecting people and pets to one adoption at a time. I’m Mel Henry.
