The Humane Society of Pagosa Springs is a private, nonprofit animal shelter serving Archuleta County in Colorado.
Our goal is to provide a safe haven for animals in need, to promote adoptions, to reunite lost animals with their owners, and to humanely reduce pet overpopulation through community education and spay/neuter programs. We also offer pet retention programs to help keep pets with their loving families.
The Humane Society of Pagosa Springs operates an Animal Shelter located at 465 Cloman Boulevard and a Thrift Store downtown at 279 Pagosa Street, Pagosa Springs, CO.
Animal Shelter
Originally called the Upper San Juan Humane Society, the Humane Society of Pagosa Springs (name change made in 1999) had a modest beginning in 1984 with the donation of a gold Krugerrand. The donor’s daughter, Debra Rinker Brown, raffled the coin to start a construction fund for an animal shelter. Shortly after that, songwriter and musician, Dan Fogelberg, volunteered to perform a concert and donate the proceeds to the project. The concert raised about $20,000, which enabled the construction of the original animal shelter. Town, county, and local contractors cooperated to build the shelter between 1984-86, thanks to the organizational skills of Ms. Brown.
Since the organization was founded back in 1984, there has been significant growth in Pagosa Springs. By 2000, it become obvious that the original shelter would no longer suit the needs of the growing number of animals in our community. The site at Steven’s Lake was deemed unexpandable due to water pressure and septic system overload, so the Humane Society Board of Directors located suitable land for a new shelter facility – 11 acres adjacent to an industrial park – located at 465 Cloman Boulevard. And two donors made donations to help HSPS purchase the land.
A few years later, architectural design was complete and the Homeward Bound Capital Campaign was launched in 2007 for the construction of the new shelter. On April 12, 2007, ground was officially broken to begin the construction, and the building was ready for occupancy on November 28, 2007.
Today, the Humane Society of Pagosa Springs provides shelter to more than 700 animals annually. As we continue to see the population explode in Archuleta County, we’re having to look at the possibility of expanding the shelter so we can continue to carry on our long history of serving both animals and citizens in many new and exciting ways.
Thrift Store
Since opening its doors in 1994, the Humane Society Thrift Store is in its third location due to growth in donations and business. The first store was named The Pack Rack Thrift Store and opened in November 1994 on Lewis Street. Within six months the store was flooded with donations, and more space was needed. In the spring of 1995, the store moved to a larger facility on South 6th Street, where it remained for the next five years.
The store’s business continued to expand with more employees hired and even antiques being sold online. In order to support the plan for building a new animal shelter, the Board of Directors realized that they needed to secure the thrift store’s future with the purchase of a building instead of being housed in leased space and at a landlord’s mercy. The decision was made to purchase the old Baptist church property on Pagosa Avenue in downtown Pagosa Springs and convert it to the permanent home of the thrift store.
After much work with walls being knocked down and extensive repairs made, the grand opening of the Thrift Store at 279 Pagosa Street was held on June 3, 2000. Shortly thereafter, the name of the thrift store changed from The Pack Rack Thrift Store to The Humane Society Thrift Store.
Mission and Vision
Our mission is to provide a safe haven for animals in need, promote adoptions, humanely reduce pet overpopulation through aggressive spay/neuter programs, support lifelong pet ownership, and to educate the community.
Adoption Policy
Adoption Process & Fees
When you adopt from the Humane Society of Pagosa Springs, your companion will have all preliminary vaccinations, is spayed or neutered, microchipped, and eligible for a free Wellness Exam with a local veterinarian.
Adoption Process
1. Our online adoption application isn’t quite ready yet!
This application may also be picked up at the shelter, or printed out.
2. We will call the three personal and one veterinary reference listed. Most delays in processing applications are due to references not getting back to us in a timely manner. We recommend you let them know in advance that we’ll be calling and it’s time sensitive.
3. Should you have other pets, we may ask you to bring them to make sure everyone gets along prior to taking your pet home. Additionally, depending upon the animal, a Home Visit may be required.
4. If you are a renter, we will need to verify with your landlord before adoption can be completed.
5. To finalize the adoption, you will be asked to sign an adoption contract and pay the adoption fee.
6. In an effort to keep our animals out of shelters that euthanize, we ask that you return your pet to us if you are unable to keep it for any reason.
When you visit the shelter, please check in at the front desk. Our staff will show you the animals available and fill you in on the history and needs of each animal. Feel free to ask the staff questions about house training, scratching, veterinary care, how to introduce a new pet to other pets and anything else you might wish to know.
To help prevent pet overpopulation, all animals MUST be spayed or neutered before being adopted and leaving our facility.
Pet Adoption Fees
Our adoptions prices are a terrific value. It costs us more than we charge to care for an animal, feed, and provide medical care prior to adoption.
Adult Dog $110
Puppy $175 (under 6 months)
Returning an Animal
You can return your pet to the Humane Society of Pagosa Springs if you cannot continue to provide it with a good home. Sometimes adoptions do not work out for various reasons. If that ever happens, please return your pet to us. This keeps them out of shelters that euthanize animals.
https://pagosahumane.org/adopt/
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