Humane Society starts construction on new facility

BOULDER ? The Humane Society of Boulder Valley plans to break ground for a new

building in December.

The $5.8 million capital campaign “will be foundational through 2020,´ said Development Manager Lisa Cromar. To date, the shelter has collected $4.6 million toward its goal of a new facility. The current building “is falling apart around us,” Cromar said.

Since no animals at the Boulder shelter are euthanized, some people outside of Boulder County drop off unwanted animals at the shelter. The increase in adoptable animals leaves the Boulder shelter short on space. The new facility will be 15,000 square feet, nearly double the size of the old building. “It used to be just for dogs,” Cromar said, “but now we serve cats, birds, gerbils and rats.”

The new building will include the shelter’s veterinary hospital, which is currently three miles away. “It’s a big inconvenience when someone brings in an injured animal,” Cromar said of the split facility. “The new building is for all animals and pets who need us.”

The Boulder Valley Humane Society will build on the shelter’s three-acre property and then demolish the current facility. Cromar said an architect advised that it would be more economical to start over than to patch together the hodge-podge of additions that comprise the current structure.

The Boulder shelter serves the communities of Broomfield, Erie, Lafayette, Louisville, Nederland and Superior. “It saves money having one central shelter instead of each municipality building their own,” Cromar said.

The Humane Society of Boulder Valley also provides animal control service to the city of Boulder. The other municipalities provide their own animal control personnel.

Since the facility and its services are shared, the expense is mutual, as well. Boulder Valley has obtained $1.5 million in commitments from the county’s other municipalities for 2001. Each city’s contribution is figured by the number of animals served by the Boulder shelter. “Each contributes his fair share,” Cromar said.

Half the shelter’s budget comes from the contributions of municipalities, adoption fees and services such as low-cost clinics. The remaining half comes from contributions from private parties and companies. “People recognize that we’ve been providing service since 1902,” Cromar said. “It’s a win-win situation.”

In 1999, the shelter’s operating budget was $2.4 million. The overhead for keeping animals is higher for the Humane Society of Boulder Valley than other shelters because euthanasia is not an option. “It’s a lot cheaper to kill an animal than save it,” Cromar said. It costs the shelter an average of $233 to keep an animal until it is adopted. The expense varies based upon how long the animal is kept, its medical needs and what kind of pet it is.

Besides adoption services, Boulder Valley offers low-cost alterations and vaccinations. “We support the quality of life in Boulder County,´ said Cromar. “It’s not just about catching dogs.”

Education is one means the shelter uses to keep the rate of return low. Through “conversational adoptions,” Cromar said shelter staff can find out what people want and need in a pet before they adopt. People discuss what type and personality of pet they want and how it would fit in their lifestyle.

Although people incorrectly tend to think shelter pets as “mutts” or ill-tempered animals, Cromar estimates that 60 percent of the pets are purebreds, many of which are simply misunderstood by their former owners. Many pets are surrendered to the shelter because of bad behavior that could be corrected if they are trained properly.

“Our mission is making sure (pets) get into a good home,” Cromar said, stressing that shelter staff and volunteers retrain pets under their care to correct any behavior problems before they are adopted.

If an owner does not understand the breed he or she adopts, the situation could turn abusive. “We teach future owners,” Cromar said. “The link between human and animal violence is valid.” These kinds of preventative measures reduce the frequency of newly adopted pets being returned to the shelter.

The shelter also offers Companion Care for Life, a program that keeps pets in a good home. The Humane Society of Boulder Valley keeps a profile of each pet in the program so that if something happens to the owner, the pet will be placed with a compatible family or individual.

For the past five years, the shelter has maintained a 100 percent adoption rate. It has no time limit on how long an animal may stay. Injured, sick and abused animals are treated and rehabilitated until they are ready for adoption. The shelter is committed to “making a good match between pets and people,” Cromar said.

For information on how to support the Boulder Valley Humane Society, contact Lisa Cromar at (303) 442-4030.

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