Rescue Asks That Transportation Services Be Considered ‘Essential’ To Save Dogs From Out-Of-State Kill Shelters

A dog rescue organization in Kiowa, Colorado, Low Riders of the West, has a request to make. It seems as if things are different now that Gov. Jared Polis has issued the stay at home order.

“We want to bring these dogs to Colorado so they are out of danger of being euthanized,” said the transportation executive for that organization, Claire Sanchez, according to Fox21 News. She continued, saying, “We want to bring these dogs to Colorado so they are out of danger of being euthanized.”

Since the stay-at-home executive order was put in place, Sanchez says they are no longer able to pick up and take in dogs from high kill shelters in surrounding states.

“Hundreds of dogs in the Texas and New Mexico area are euthanized daily,” Sanchez said.

Photo: Pixabay/alpineveg

250 applications for both adopters and fosters are now available according to Sanchez, but the rescue is running short on dogs.

At the same time, hundreds of dogs are in line to be euthanized in Texas and New Mexico if they can’t transport them across the Colorado-New Mexico border. Down south, the shelters have seen a drastic increase in dogs due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We have dogs pretty much coming in every weekend. There is never a time that there aren’t dogs that need to be brought here,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez also reports that other aspects of the shelters and rescues are open. It is only the transport part that is being affected. A press release was released the from PAFCA, the Pet Animal Care Facility Act Program of Colorado.

It said:

“In light of Executive Order 2020-17, after consulting with stakeholders, legal counsel, and other interested parties, we consider the order to restrict the transportation of pet animals, except when such transportation is for the purpose of providing veterinary care or relocating any pet animal as a result of an emergency closure of a facility or transporting any animal to an authorized foster home. Any other transportation is not considered critical and therefore must cease until April 11, 2020.”

After the response was received from the governor’s office, clarification didn’t come in as to whether the order would last until April 11, until the original end date of the stay at home order, April 30, or if it would be the newly extended end date.

Low Riders of the West is a non-profit 501 (c) (3). They use all volunteers to get their work finished.

“We aren’t able to keep the system moving and it’s causing huge problems on everybody’s side,” Sanchez said.

There have been a number of transports canceled since the order was put in place.

“This isn’t a business. This is volunteers giving their time and lives to save these dogs,” Sanchez said.

A video had been posted of the Humane Society of Pike’s Peak region showing an empty animal shelter after dozens of locals responded to a call for help.