EAGLE — Living a dog’s life in Eagle County isn’t a bad thing.
In fact, being an Eagle County dog is pretty darn good. The same holds true for county cats.
“It’s such a dog-friendly community here,” said Eagle County Animal Shelter Manager Rhiannon Rowe. “People are pretty responsible here. This is a nice place to be when you are an animal.”
In 2018, the shelter recorded a total of 327 animal adoptions.
While the local shelter can house up to 25 dogs and 30 cats, conditions that crowded are optimal. Typically, there are around a dozen dogs and a dozen cats at the site.
Rowe said smaller, Labrador-mix dogs are in high demand among potential adoptive families. She noted people gravitate toward dogs in the 40- to 50-pound range.
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“Kittens are always a big hit,” she added.
Responsible ownership
Rowe said Eagle County Animal Services doesn’t really see a surrender season. Typically animal shelters nationwide record higher numbers of animal surrenders following the holidays, when families decide a Christmas present puppy or kitten won’t work out. In the past, there was also an influx at the end of the ski season when transient workers surrendered animals when they left the valley. Rowe said that just doesn’t happen any longer, perhaps reflecting a move toward more responsible ownership and a local rental environment that discourages pets.
The Eagle County shelter actually has a bigger adoption demand than number of local homeless or surrendered animals. To bridge that gap, the Eagle County shelter partners with a Texas animal rescue group that brings in adoptable dogs and cats from Houston area shelters that euthanize animals after prolonged stays.
Rowe said the shelter staff regularly checks an online inventory of adoptable pets from the Houston area and when they see an animal that is a good local adoption candidate, transport is then arranged through the rescue group.
Fee increase
As 2019 begins, the Eagle County Animal Shelter is increasing adoption fees for the first time in more than a decade.
The new adoption fees began Jan. 2 and range from $70 for adult cats to $150 for puppies. The shelter’s surrender, impound and boarding fees have also increased.
“We just felt it was time and in keeping with the prices of neighboring shelters,” Rowe said.
For additional information, visit http://www.eaglecounty.us/Animal/
Eagle County Animal Shelter Fees
Beginning Jan. 2, the Eagle County Animal Shelter instituted the following fee structure:
Cat adoptions: $70
Kitten adoptions (younger than 6 months): $100
Dog adoptions: $100
Puppy adoptions (younger 6 months): $150
Small animal adoptions: $50
Any surrender: $50
Surrender with litter: $50 plus $10 per kitten or puppy
Impounds: $50
Boarding: $25 per day
For more information, contact Eagle County Animal Shelter Manager Rhiannon Rowe at 970-328-3647 and rhiannon.rowe@eaglecounty.us.
