Seventy-eight large-breed dogs were rescued from an unlicensed pet animal facility in Lyons on Wednesday, with 72 being transferred to shelters and rescues along the Front Range.
The dogs — mainly Husky mixes and other cold-weather breeds — were recovered after the property tenant was evicted in December after operating a pet care facility for over a year without a license, according to NOCO Humane Director of Development & Community Relations Amanda Myers.
“We are happy to report that the dogs appear to be both healthy and well-socialized with other dogs and people,” said NOCO Humane CEO Judy Calhoun in a Wednesday release. “Hopefully, this means that they won’t need to spend too much time in an unfamiliar shelter environment, especially since these dogs are accustomed to living outdoors.”
The state had ordered the tenant to cease and desist from sheltering, harboring and housing 82 dogs without a valid pet animal care facility license, which is required under state law for anyone housing over 15 dogs or cats at once, according to a Thursday release from the Colorado Department of Agriculture. But the tenant refused, prompting the state to issue a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, requiring them to move the dogs out of state or give them up by Jan. 30.
Of the 82 dogs, one was euthanized by the owner the day before the recovery and three could not be captured by NOCO Humane, the department said.
The department appointed NOCO Humane as the caretaker for the dogs after the tenant was evicted, according to the NOCO release. In addition to the 72 dogs being transferred to shelters and rescues, six will be taken to NOCO Humane’s Larimer Campus in Loveland for a full medical and behavioral evaluation.
NOCO Humane is a nonprofit animal welfare organization, providing adoption services, pet owner support and humane education, according to its release. Additionally, the organization holds contracts to provide animal control and sheltering services in several Colorado locations, including Fort Collins, Loveland and Larimer County.
“We recognize that this is a challenging and devastating situation for all involved,” Calhoun said in the NOCO release. “But we are also grateful that we have the capacity to provide these wonderful animals with a home in the face of homelessness.”
