Isn’t Colorado one of the best pet-loving states ever? Candidates for elected office who walk neighborhoods know exactly how much Coloradans love their dogs. It’s harder to know about cats, birds, and fish, but it’s possible to assume pet love is universal here.

Colorado’s Department of Agriculture has stepped up to the animal-protection plate with the Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act (PACFA). It offers 16 commercial licenses for every aspect of pet life including pet grooming, rescuers, shelters, sanctuaries, boarders, breeders, transporters, handlers and dealers. Breeders divide into dogs, cats, reptiles and amphibians, birds and small animals. Retail aquarium operators are included.

Even so, some pets have had a hard time in the last few years. Pet adoption and ownership soared with the COVID pandemic as people sought companionship from animals. With COVID dimming in impact, too many pet owners are now facing the effects of inflation, housing access, expensive vet bills and not enough vets in the market. Some pet owners have to surrender  their pets to shelters. Others simply abandon their pets.

Recent stories tell the tale. Denver Animal Shelter had 1,129 animals left at its doors from January 2023 to August 2023. That number will ultimately exceed the 1,184 total left at the shelter in 2022.

The increase in sheltering and other rescue efforts such as for the 80 dogs recently taken from an unlicensed ranch and sanctuary owner in Larimer County can overwhelm shelters in vulnerable locations. Authorities relied on 11 animal welfare organizations to help with the large rescue operation. Veterinarians were recruited to evaluate the dogs. The hope is most will be available for adoption.

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Pet rescuing is a massive effort. The National Mill Dog Rescue in Colorado Springs recently helped save its 20,000th dog. Stats from PACFA in 2022 show 92,711 dogs and 75,811 cats received shelter in Colorado and 92,796 dogs and 75,228 cats were adopted. That’s in addition to 1,742 adopted birds, 1,943 adopted rabbits and 6,436 small mammals.

Two bills are currently up in the legislature that will affect the fate of animals in shelters. SB24-045 will modify animal sterilization rules. Currently, if a shelter is in a location with limited access to veterinarians, the shelter may request an exemption from neutering cats and dogs for adoption. The bill eliminates that exemption. If facilities import unsterilized dogs or cats into the state, those facilities may not receive a neutering exemption. This bill is supported by animal shelters and animal protection societies across the state.

HB24-1114 is a modification to PACFA. It will require shelters and rescue facilities to notify other shelters and rescues if they intend to euthanize a healthy or treatable dog or cat. The requirement does not apply to untreatable or dangerous animals and the shelter of origin decides as to the condition and availability of animals for transfer. The Department of Agriculture will create a one-click notification system in which shelters enter animal information to distribute to more than 300 shelters/rescues across the state. The shelter of origin must give three days for other shelters to respond and the receiving shelter has two days to retrieve and transfer animals.

This bill has a mix of supporters and opposers. Supporters such as MaxFund, a Denver-based non-profit shelter, and Humane Society of Fremont County argue that healthy and treatable animals should not be euthanized. They have facilities that shelter unadopted animals as long as it takes. NoKill Colorado acknowledges Colorado is already close to a no-kill state with more than 90% of animals adopted or otherwise cared for. It believes the state could achieve a 95% to 98% adoption record.

Other entities such as some counties and cities oppose the bill. Volume of abandoned pets is one problem. Government-sponsored shelters may not have the resources to support the effort to find adoptions for all pets left at their doors or surrendered. Many of these shelters offer services to accept surrendered pets and help pet owners keep their pets, including vaccinations and neutering care. Even so, unadopted pets may face euthanizing when a shelter has no more space.

The goals of the two bills are humane. The question before lawmakers at the upcoming House committee session on HB24-1114 on pet adoption is whether it’s possible for all shelters to cooperate to ensure healthy dogs and cats live out their lives with or without a forever family.

Paula Noonan owns Colorado Capitol Watch, the state’s premier legislature tracking platform.