(FREMONT COUNTY, Colo.) — The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office announced that they would cease all animal impounds at the county’s humane society until next year as a result of a funding dispute between the two entities.
The Sheriff’s Office made the announcement on Facebook on Monday night, gaining almost 200 comments from concerned residents by the next day.
“Due to budget constraints the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office will not be able to do animal impounds at the Fremont County Humane Society until we receive our 2024 budgetary funds,” the post read.
“We’re still going to respond to animal complaints, but we will not do impounds… What happened this year is, that my money effectively ran out on the 23rd of this month,” said Sheriff Allen Cooper.
The Humane Society of Fremont County (HSFC) is funded by the Sheriff’s Office, and this year, the allocated budget fell significantly short of the humane society’s initial request.
Sheriff Cooper informed Doug Rae, the director of HSFC, in a letter dated Sep. 21, 2022, that they would not be able to meet the requested increase for the 2023 contract. The budget allocated was $60,000, well below the $82,576 originally sought by HSFC.
“We do care about the animals. That’s why I have an animal control unit and we have them shifted so that I have coverage seven days a week… But I had to prioritize the health, and safety of the people that are housed in this facility,” Sheriff Cooper said, emphasizing that he had a tight budget this year.
Despite the sheriff’s September 2022 notice, a contract drafted by the HSFC still stated that the Sheriff’s Office would pay them the original amount they requested.
“And I was hoping that you know, everything would be okay,” said Rae.
Sheriff Cooper followed up with another letter dated Feb. 13, 2023, stating he could still only afford the budgeted $60,000: “I will exhaust my budget on September 23rd. At that time I will direct my ACDs to suspend animal control for all animals handled by your facility.”
The situation was left unresolved for seven months. This impasse has now left Fremont County without a designated place to bring stray animals.
Rae said that if people in Fremont County find an animal, they would need to bring it to a different shelter.
“If somebody finds a stray animal in Fremont County right now, we can’t legally accept that animal because it’s a contract that provides us legal ownership of the animal,” said Rae.
Animal intake data indicates that the county typically impounds about 100 more strays during this three-month period before the end of the year. Rae emphasized that the humane society couldn’t afford to take in these animals without a contract.
Both the Sheriff’s Office and HSFC are now pointing fingers at each other while expressing concern about the impact this dispute will have on the county.
“What we are seeing more frequently is those animals are becoming abandoned,” Sheriff Cooper elaborated. “People take them out and dump them out on a county road. And then my deputies get the call.”
He also clarified, “If people see an actual vicious dog that is attacking a person or livestock or pets or anything like that, we have the legal authority to put that animal down… I can tell you it is a rare occurrence in my entire law enforcement career [of 40 years] I’ve had to put down two dogs. That’s it.”
The HSFC now seeks the remaining $22,576 of the $82,576 they originally requested. Sheriff Cooper remains hopeful for a resolution.
“I just urge the public to be a little patient. We are going to work through this. Hopefully, in a couple of weeks, it’s going to be better,” said Sheriff Cooper.
Both offices have not encouraged donations for this matter and insist that it should be resolved at the county level. Sheriff Cooper said he has already budgeted $65,000 for HSFC for next year.
