LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — The combination of a lack of space, staffing shortages and more sick animals is taking a toll on staff at NOCO Humane, as they deal with an influx of animals.
Even after successfully finding homes for more than 400 animals in June, NOCO Humane has reached its capacity with more than 1,100 animals entering the shelter.
NOCO Humane has shelters in Weld and Larimer counties. Staff said they're not only getting more animals, but animals are also staying longer.
A big part of the increase is because NOCO Humane expanded its services into Weld County in October 2023, when the Humane Society of Weld County was dissolved into Larimer Humane Society, creating NOCO Humane.
"The Humane Society of Weld County was having a lot of issues with operations," said Amanda Myers, Director of Development and Community Relations at NOCO Humane. "Capacity constraints were a challenge for them as well, and after many months of conversation, we ultimately decided that the best scenario for the pets and people of both counties would be for Larimer Humane Society to take over operations and all animal welfare services in Weld County."
Myers said the shelter space they acquired was small, and still not enough to manage twice as many animals as before. NOCO Humane calls themselves an open admission shelter, meaning they don't turn away animals for any reason.
"Something that the Humane Society of Weld County was having to do, was to turn animals away. And that was purely because they didn't have resources and the capacity to care for them all," Myers said. "So we opened our doors two days after making the transition in October and have tried our best to keep our doors as wide open as possible to all of those animals. And in doing that, we're seeing an influx even greater than the Humane Society of Weld County was experiencing in their last few years."
Another factor in the lack of space is an increase in sick animals. Animals that are sick, or recently spayed or neutered, need to be isolated. This takes up more shelter space, and requires more staff attention.
Nationwide, summertime typically has a higher number of puppy and kitten births, and more litters coming into shelters.
"The summer months equal what we call bottle baby season, especially with feral cats in particular," Myers said. "The mating season means that we end up having a lot of litters of newborn kittens in the summer months. And it seems that that season is getting longer and longer."
NOCO Humane is waiving adoption fees for all animals through the month of July, hoping it'll remove a barrier for people looking to bring a new pet into their home. They hope that those who are able to make a donation when they adopt will do so.
NOCO Humane is also accepting volunteers to foster a pet.
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