A record number of animals have been taken in by the Denver Animal Shelter so far this year, leading the organization to expand its adoption hours on weekends.
So far this year, 4,392 animals have been taken to the shelter, including strays and animals surrendered or transferred by their owners. That represents a nearly 7% increase over the number of animals taken in at this point last year. More than 10,000 animals in total were taken to the shelter last year, a 45% increase compared to the shelter’s pre-pandemic high.
To help more people find new pets, the shelter is now running its adoption services 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, in addition to full services being offered from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on those days.
Shelter Director Melanie Sobel said in a statement she hopes the extra four hours of adoption time will give staff “extra precious time to find even more forever homes for our deserving furry friends.”
“The number of lost, unwanted, injured and mistreated animals arriving at (the shelter) continues to grow each year, and we are finding there just aren’t enough hours in the day to adopt out these wonderful pets to people who want them,” Sobel said.
To accommodate the extra four hours of adoption time, the shelter moved its vaccine clinic hours to 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The shelter also offers full services from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and from 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
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