Reflecting on 10 years

Last Month I celebrated my tenth anniversary of coming to work for  LPCHS. I'm happy and proud to say that Ive never worked anyplace else this long. The fact is, that I love this place. When I came here, I had no intention of staying more than a year or so. I certainly didn't think Id make a career of it, but that is what it has become. Even more than that, it has gotten in my blood, it is a passion. Im not sure when or how it happened, but somewhere along the line, it did.

Over these ten years, there have been many laughs, and lots of tears, and probably a few words spoken that are not fit for print. Overall the journey has been a great experience. The best part, has been watching the changes that have been made here at our shelter. We have gone from barely keeping our heads above water, to the premiere shelter in the region. We have made euthanizing animals for space, a distant memory. We started a low cost spay/neuter program that has reduced our intake by over 10% in the past 18 months. We have transferred out over 800 dogs through the Petsmart Charities Rescue Waggin program, where they have gone to Boulder to be adopted. We have gone from having just a few foster homes, to well over a hundred. These changes and others, have been tough, but the end results have been so worth the effort, especially for the animals in our care.

To wrap up id like to walk down memory lane a bit, and mention some of the animals and people who have made my time here so great.

Lets start with he dogs. There was Radar, Wing nut, Sarge, and Calvin, German Shepherds all of them, and special for many reasons. Who can forget the mighty Khan, an Anatolian who ruled the roost around here for quite a while. There was Brutis, and Knuckles, and Vinny the Nose. Gila, Pepsi, Paco, Okie, and Bucket. Who can forget big ol Buster, and Old Red, and the notorious little Wagman.

 If you know me, than you know I am  a dog guy by heart, but there have been lots of cats that have stuck in my memory. At the top of the list would be none other than Tilly. She was an 18 pound white cat whose attitude was less than stellar. One day I discovered that Tilly loved nothing more in life than playing ping pong. Every morning for the next 3 months, we would bat the ping pong ball around the room until she was adopted. There was Samurai, And Chester both large orange tabby's. I remember Snizzlefritz, and Fat Jack as well as Leo, Monster and my old friend Cosmo.

 As for the people, there are to many to mention all, without leaving some out. Instead I will just say thanks for the memories and all your support. Here is to ten more years, I cant wait to see what we've accomplished in 2022.
 

Adoptathon

Today is the first day of our 10th annual Adoptathon, and I am happy to report that we have already adopted 20 animals. That takes us half way to this years goal of 40 adoptions in a two day period. We still have a bunch of great pets available to choose from. The event runs until 8pm tonight, and from 8 am until 8 pm tomorrow Saturday June the 2nd. Come o down and change the life of one of our furry freinds, and let them make a change in your life.

If you cant adopt a pet right now, you can still come down and help out the animals. We are grilling up some delicious burgers and bratwurst on the bbq., and we can always use financial support. Pet Haus is also here selling dog and cat toys, with 20%  of proceeds going to the shelter. Our dogs  are also in need of a few specialized items for behavior and enrichment. The dogs need some cans of cheez whiz, as well as new Kong toys, and nylabones. These items are used to provide enrichment for the dogs while they are waiting to find their forever homes.

Thanks for your continued support of LPCHS, and please come by and help us reach our goal of adopting 40 animals during this years adoptathon.

Welcome to the Directors blog

Welcome to the first edition of the La Plata County Humane Society Directors blog. My name is Chris Nelson, and I have been with LPCHS for almost ten years. It has been my honor to be the Director of Animal Services for the past six years.

I will use this forum to communicate what is going on here at our shelter. I will  post about issues concerning our operations, animals, and  share my experiences working in an animal Shelter. It is my hope that the you will be entertained, and gain some insight into what life at an animal shelter is like. Over the years I have met some very interesting characters here at the shelter ( two and four legged). Ive also witnessed  some sad, humorous, and frustrating events,  posting them on this blog, seems like a great way to share them with you, our supporters.

Thanks for reading, and thank you for your continuing support of LPCHS.