Demand Transparency and Review of Colorado's Animal Facilities inspections by PACFA and Foothills Animal shelter Practices

As a staunch supporter of local animal rescues, adoption centers, and stringent spay/neuter programs, I've become increasingly concerned about existing procedures overseeing animal facilities in Colorado. It's clear that current regulations, managed by the Pet Animal Care Facilities Act (PACFA), need a comprehensive review. This petition addresses two key issues: PACFA's approach to licensing and violation handling, and the suspected mispractices at Foothills Animal Hospital.

Firstly, we demand a thorough inspection of PACFA's historical records, specifically focusing on licensing procedures, reported violations, allocated compliance times, and their overall level of transparency. Current measures inadequately address breeders and pet stores, precipitating an alarming overpopulation of puppies and their ensuing mistreatment and neglect.

Moms and Mutts Colorado has been under scrutiny based on false complaints while they tirelessly work to save the lives of pregnant and nursing dogs and their puppies. They have also been instrumental in  Stopping an illegal breeder from Texas bringing sick puppies to Colorado and selling them via Facebook without a license.  By conducting their own sting operation they saved at least two puppies who were very ill and needed urgent medical attention.

In addition to the above individual, another woman has been able to set up four rescues in Colorado that have been shut down for abandonment, animal neglect and abuse and is facing jail time  These rescues did not all appear on PACFA reports since 2017 though they were at separate times operational. 

Secondly, we direct our attention to Foothills Animal shelter. Recently, several puppies were seized by the state and euthanized due to rabies infection. Suspicions arise that the procedures did not follow humane euthanasia guidelines set by the American Veterinary Medical Association. requests for records have not been met. We call for the facility's veterinary records to be reviewed and any malpractices promptly addressed. 

HOW DOES THIS IMPACT YOU?

New rules are being introduced in 2024, and while these rules blatantly target MAMCO, they will essentially be the downfall of ALL the licensed, reputable Colorado rescue groups. They will allow the State to impose unfair rules on rescues which will impact their ability to operate, they will give the State the ability to control financial aspects of rescue, and they will prevent rescues from bringing in puppies under 12 weeks of age. This will encourage the unchecked people to breed more dogs, import puppies illegally, and will open up adopters to a new variety of dangers including disease. This will also give pet stores and breeders an unfair advantage, as these rules do not pertain to them and they will still be allowed to bring puppies under 8 weeks of age into Colorado, even though the risk of rabies is the same.

BACKYARD BREEDERS GO UNCHECKED

If you scroll through Craigslist, Facebook Groups, and other social media outlets on any given day, you will find countless litters of puppies for sale. These puppies are being bred in backyards illegally right here in the Denver Metro Area, and they continue to do so without regulation or consequence because PACFA claims they do not have the manpower to regulate this sect of the population. None of these puppies are required to be spayed or neutered, and there is no way to prove that they have received any vetting whatsoever. 

This week alone I counted 15 litters of puppies for sale on Craigslist. Let's say an average litter has 7 puppies, so that means today alone there are 105 puppies who will be sent out into Colorado unaltered and with no health guarantee. This is just in ONE WEEK. If we multiply this number times 52 weeks, we get 5,460 puppies being illegally sold in Colorado just from one social media outlet.

 “In just six years, one pair of unspayed/unneutered dogs and their offspring can produce 67,000 dogs (Maryland Dept. Ag, 2024)”

If this statistic is accurate, the dogs being sold illegally on Craigslist have the potential to produce 182,910,000 dogs in a six year period. Yet rescues, who follow up on Spay and Neuter, work closely with veterinarians and adopters are the problem?

Pet stores and  in Colorado are not subjected to the same spay and neuter laws as rescues and shelters in Colorado

As members of the community, we consider it our duty to advocate for animals who cannot speak for themselves. Animal welfare is not negotiable—it should be upheld at all times, without exception. We urge Colorado's local authorities and animal welfare organizations to respond to these concerns. On behalf of all animal lovers, we stand unyielding in our demand for fairness, transparency, and justice in animal care and treatment. Please, sign this petition and support the cause.