🐾 Petition to Mayor Yemi Mobolade, Colorado Springs City Council, and the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region

Demanding Reform of Stray Hold Contradictions and ADA Violations in Municipal Shelter Policy

📍 Directed To:
•     Mayor Yemi Mobolade
•     Colorado Springs City Council Members
•     Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region (HSPPR) Leadership

⚖️ Legal Contradiction & Systemic Harm
In Colorado, pets are legally classified as personal property under C.R.S. § 18-4-401. If someone steals or destroys a pet, it’s treated as a property crime—just like theft of a car or destruction of a laptop.

Yet under C.R.S. § 35-80-106.3, municipal shelters—including HSPPR—are allowed to euthanize or rehome stray pets after just five days in custody, often without notice, due process, or any formal transfer of ownership.

This exposes a dangerous contradiction between Colorado’s 5-day stray hold and the 30-day property abandonment threshold:

•     Property law requires a 30-day period before abandonment can be presumed.

•     Shelter policy allows destruction of “property” after just five days.

•     ADA Title II requires reasonable accommodations for disabled individuals—yet no extensions or accessible reclaim procedures are offered.

The result? Pets are killed while their legal owners—especially disabled, grieving, or homebound individuals—are still trying to locate them.
No hearing. No appeal. No accountability.

🧩 Role of HSPPR
As the contracted municipal shelter, HSPPR holds operational control over intake, euthanasia, and adoption procedures. Their internal policies directly impact whether disabled residents receive lawful notice, accessible reclaim options, or any form of due process.

We call on HSPPR leadership to:

•     Review and revise internal policies to align with state property law and ADA Title II.
•     Provide remote verification, proxy pickup, and accessible communication for disabled pet owners.
•     Ensure formal notice and documentation before euthanasia or adoption.
•     Establish a grievance process for wrongful denial of reclaim rights.

📢 Our Demands
We urge city officials and HSPPR to enact immediate reform:

1.     Extend the stray hold period to at least 10–14 days, aligning with property law and humane standards.
2.     Implement ADA-compliant reclaim procedures, including remote verification, proxy pickup, and accessible communication.
3.     Require formal notice and documentation before euthanasia or adoption.
4.     Establish a grievance process for wrongful euthanasia and denial of reclaim rights.

🖋️ Closing Statement
Pets are not disposable.
Property rights are not optional.
And disabled residents deserve equal protection under the law.

We, the undersigned, demand justice, transparency, and lawful reform in Colorado Springs. This petition represents a community united in defense of autonomy, accessibility, and humane governance.

Please leave a comment on the petition—these add emotional weight to our message.