A very bad reputation
Pros: Caring volunteers and (most) staff
Cons: Horrible reputation, demoralized staff
Reviewed: 9 months ago -- Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Reviewed Service
Review Details
The Colorado Humane Society has been around for 125 years and surely has done much good in that time. Under the present director, though, it's received a terrible reputation.
My information comes from four sources: a handful of people I know who have volunteered there or who otherwise know the people involved; an investigation by a local TV station; my own visits when looking for adoptable dogs; and two dogs adopted from CHS that have lived with me.
On the one hand, the people with inside information - and the news report - say this is truly a horrible operation. On the other hand, I can't condemn CHS from personal experience.
The dog kennels that are open to the public have been adequately clean when I've visited. They're cramped, though, and so is the shelter office. It's a little difficult to do adoption paperwork or talk with staff.
I think I've seen volunteers walking dogs every time I've driven by. (And it's along a route I used to travel quite a bit.) There are obviously people there who care for the animals. Or there were - the recent press has to have been demoralizing. And I've heard of paid staff quitting, as well.
I fostered one dog who had been adopted from CHS as a puppy, but who was four years old when I knew him. He had some separation-anxiety sorts of issues, but I don't know that they were definitely caused by something before he was adopted. Knowing his breeds and how he behaved in my home and the next home he went to, I'd say his behavior was within fairly typical guidelines.
I cared for another CHS puppy from age 8 weeks until 10 months, first while she lived with the person who adopted her, and then here in my home.
(In fact, she was with me at the same time as the other foster, and they were wonderful and hilarious playing together!)
This puppy's health was perfect the entire 8 months that I knew her. She went straight from CHS to my vet for a checkup, and he saw her routinely after that.
However, I have heard negative things about CHS and puppies. One former volunteer told me that CHS travels around the region gathering up litters of puppies. This sounds neutral or even positive, but....
Allegedly, the puppies are transported in a way that isn't humane, and there's a high death rate while they're on the road. Of course litters that they pick up may already be sick, but my informant says that many of the deaths are due to the conditions of transportation.
Also, it's been pointed out that CHS' motives for putting so much effort into puppies may not be very good. Many adoptors only want pups, and so the youngest dogs spend the least time in a shelter.
Retail businesses try for high turnover like this. Every store has a limit to their floor space, so selling items quickly, then restocking, then selling quickly again is key to higher profits.
Well ... CHS does charge for adoptions. They don't have adoption information online now, but shelters commonly charge more for puppies because they're more desirable. So does CHS focus on puppies as a way to get more income?
There is one thing I do know for sure even though their website is pretty useless right now. Until recently there was a page claiming that CHS had a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, which evaluates the financial health of non-profit organizations. (Oddly, four stars is Charity Navigator's highest rating.)
But CHS has had a three-star rating for the last couple of years. When this was pointed out, during the time when the shelter was getting so much bad publicity from the TV reports, that page disappeared from the website.
The Colorado Humane Society is a deeply troubled organization right now. There have been allegations of financial malfeasance as well as the horror stories leaked by volunteers and the media, and the sudden loss of many volunteer and paid personnel.
Things could be put right again, but the overall mess will take lots of clean-up.
My information comes from four sources: a handful of people I know who have volunteered there or who otherwise know the people involved; an investigation by a local TV station; my own visits when looking for adoptable dogs; and two dogs adopted from CHS that have lived with me.
On the one hand, the people with inside information - and the news report - say this is truly a horrible operation. On the other hand, I can't condemn CHS from personal experience.
The dog kennels that are open to the public have been adequately clean when I've visited. They're cramped, though, and so is the shelter office. It's a little difficult to do adoption paperwork or talk with staff.
I think I've seen volunteers walking dogs every time I've driven by. (And it's along a route I used to travel quite a bit.) There are obviously people there who care for the animals. Or there were - the recent press has to have been demoralizing. And I've heard of paid staff quitting, as well.
I fostered one dog who had been adopted from CHS as a puppy, but who was four years old when I knew him. He had some separation-anxiety sorts of issues, but I don't know that they were definitely caused by something before he was adopted. Knowing his breeds and how he behaved in my home and the next home he went to, I'd say his behavior was within fairly typical guidelines.
I cared for another CHS puppy from age 8 weeks until 10 months, first while she lived with the person who adopted her, and then here in my home.
(In fact, she was with me at the same time as the other foster, and they were wonderful and hilarious playing together!)
This puppy's health was perfect the entire 8 months that I knew her. She went straight from CHS to my vet for a checkup, and he saw her routinely after that.
However, I have heard negative things about CHS and puppies. One former volunteer told me that CHS travels around the region gathering up litters of puppies. This sounds neutral or even positive, but....
Allegedly, the puppies are transported in a way that isn't humane, and there's a high death rate while they're on the road. Of course litters that they pick up may already be sick, but my informant says that many of the deaths are due to the conditions of transportation.
Also, it's been pointed out that CHS' motives for putting so much effort into puppies may not be very good. Many adoptors only want pups, and so the youngest dogs spend the least time in a shelter.
Retail businesses try for high turnover like this. Every store has a limit to their floor space, so selling items quickly, then restocking, then selling quickly again is key to higher profits.
Well ... CHS does charge for adoptions. They don't have adoption information online now, but shelters commonly charge more for puppies because they're more desirable. So does CHS focus on puppies as a way to get more income?
There is one thing I do know for sure even though their website is pretty useless right now. Until recently there was a page claiming that CHS had a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, which evaluates the financial health of non-profit organizations. (Oddly, four stars is Charity Navigator's highest rating.)
But CHS has had a three-star rating for the last couple of years. When this was pointed out, during the time when the shelter was getting so much bad publicity from the TV reports, that page disappeared from the website.
The Colorado Humane Society is a deeply troubled organization right now. There have been allegations of financial malfeasance as well as the horror stories leaked by volunteers and the media, and the sudden loss of many volunteer and paid personnel.
Things could be put right again, but the overall mess will take lots of clean-up.
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Discussion
5 comments found.
I defenitely agree with you ed. I used to volunteer and the Humane Society. There was one day where we received a trailer full of puppies from New Mexico. The trailer was not air conditioned and it was during the summer. It was like a moving truck with a few holes for air in it. While unloading a number of puppies, one ran away and the executive director said that it was not worth chasing the puppy because it would most likely be killed by a car on Platte Canyon Road.
I also used to volunteer there and saw this happen too and helped unload sick animals from a unvented horse trailer with 70 plus animals stacked on top of each other having riden from the four corner areas, at least 10 hours plus in the middle of June! I wish this were an uncommon event but not and normal. This all done knowingly and consciously by the Warren's which only reflects what they really care about, the money generated from lots of small dogs and not big dogs, which does not go to the animals. Ask about what nice homes the Warren's have and nice cars all the time.
I worked for this shelter for two years and i can verify that a lot is untrue. you had some positive things to say, and some incorrect things. In the two years Never was there a dead dog coming from a transfer. and definatly no dog was euthanized for symptoms related to heat stroke or anything of the subject. i have been in the bus wich does have A/C and the trailer has been measured at a very cool temperature noting hot. as for the comment about letting the dog go because it will get hit, is the most pathetic excuse i have heard. i ran miles to catch any dog that would ever get out, with a 98% catch the dog rate. the employees there bust there ass to take care of these animals. Its also very pathetic how people blame the warrens. it takes a lot more help from the community! maybe if you would have helped and not walked a dog and claim that you are an incredible volunteer! your worthless. The paid employees who quit were all apart of a following of past employees who were fired, because they were drug addicts, and people who physically hurt the dogs. these people were pissed off to lose their jobs and decided they needed to do some serious convincing of the current employees to try to get them to turn against it. and some just couldnt handle the fact that some time a dog does need euthanized. this is a great shelter and you people really need to grow up and think about the animals when thinking of this contest, so grow up and quit bashing this wonderful place like children!
I volunteered to help with a transfer today, March 13, 2008. There were 3 young puppies in the entire transfer. The shelter does not charge more for the adoption of young puppies. This was not my first time volunteering and I have never seen a dead dog come out of the van. All of the dogs tranferred were going to be euthanized in other shelters. Denver has great adoption rates because of the amazing community.
The previous employees were not drug users. Taylor who was in charge was just fired one day, then there was Todd Cummens. He wasn't allowed to get his stuff from the shelter.
This is the worst shelter. They treat the animals so BADLY!!! A few years ago, the shelter was going to move to a location on oxford. They had a million dollar sponsor who suddenly dropped out. I wonder why they did. I bet they found out the real truth of the "inhumane society"
This is the worst shelter. They treat the animals so BADLY!!! A few years ago, the shelter was going to move to a location on oxford. They had a million dollar sponsor who suddenly dropped out. I wonder why they did. I bet they found out the real truth of the "inhumane society"
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