NoCo Humane in early stages of preparing eight rescued dogs for adoption – Loveland Reporter-Herald

NoCo Humane is in the early stages of preparing eight dogs rescued from an unlicensed animal facility in Lyons Wednesday for adoption to new homes.

On Jan. 31, NoCo Humane, along with Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act staff, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office and the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, traveled to the unlicensed facility where they took in 78 dogs, mainly husky mixes and other cold-weather breeds.

The tenant of the property was served an eviction notice in December, following more than one year of “deliberately operating an unlicensed pet facility under Colorado State law,” according to a previous release.

Judy Calhoun, CEO of the humane society, was one of the many people who were out at the property during the operation. She said it was the first time she had been on site for something like this with such a large group of dogs.

While she felt privileged to be able to help with a great team, she felt sorry for the many dogs, Calhoun said.

“We see the photos of dogs running loose on a property like that and it seems (like) a wonderful situation,” she said. “What we don’t think about is the stress level for dogs living in that large a group. Yes, dogs are pack animals, many of them like to be with some other dogs. But just as humans are social animals, we don’t necessarily want to be in that large a group constantly.”

While NoCo Humane’s Larimer campus in north Loveland initially took in six of the nearly 80 dogs, two more were rescued from the property Thursday morning, bringing NoCo Humane’s total to eight.

The remaining dogs were sent to 11 different animal welfare organizations including the Animal Friends Alliance based in Fort Collins, the Cheyenne Animal Shelter, the Dumb Friends League, Foothills Animal Shelter, the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, the Humane Society of the Pike Peak Region, Mattersville, Maxfund, National Mill Dog Rescue and Riverdale Animal Shelter.

Calhoun said in situations like this, the humane society gives the dogs several days to hopefully calm down a bit before examinations begin. She added, however, that she believes the dogs are already feeling calmer in their new spot as they are not pacing, barking or howling and many are spending a good deal of time sleeping.

“Which, to me, indicates they are now in a much more relaxed and less stressful situation,” she said.

She added that while veterinary staff still needs to run their examinations, the dogs seem to be in good health, despite some being overweight and “filthy.”

Calhoun said that soon, though, the process to get the dogs ready for adoption will begin. Not only will veterinary staff check the dogs for any health concerns, the dogs will also undergo behavioral tests and likely some grooming, she said. They will also get to enjoy some enrichment activities that all dogs at the shelter get to enjoy, like stuffed Kong toys.

She said she anticipates that some dogs could be ready for adoption at the earliest this week, adding that sometimes dental problems can hold up adoption readiness. While she can’t say for sure if that is the case, she said she would not be surprised if some of them need dental work.

One of those dogs,who had not been given a name yet, enjoyed some time outside Friday, slowly walking around and laying down in the grass, basking in the sun.

“I am incredibly proud of our team, (and) it is a privilege to be able to do this work,” she said. “It is a privilege to be able help create new families or add additions to existing families.”

More information on NoCo Humane and its available pets for adoption can be found at nocohumane.org.