Representatives of For Pets’ Sake Humane Society, a regional nonprofit, urged the Montezuma County commissioners on Monday to continue giving financial support to the Cortez Animal Shelter.
For Pets’ Sake works with the city-owned shelter but is not involved in running it. In previous discussions, the commissioners had questioned why the county pays roughly one-fifth of the facility’s budget. For Pets’ Sake President Marian Rohman said about half the animals brought to the shelter come from the county. The shelter charges no fee for dropping off pets because if it did, more animals would simply be abandoned. Rohman said the shelter would continue even without county support but would be forced to cut corners. Cheri Valle of For Pets’ Sake said without a shelter, people would have no place to take strays, such as the thin, dehydrated dog recently abandoned on F Road or the box of puppies left outside a Christmas party with a “free” sign. Valle said it’s to the county’s benefit not to have roaming packs of feral dogs. Commissioner Keenan Ertel said he was “in a different posture” after hearing the statistics, and Commissioner Larry Don Suckla said the message was loud and clear. They said the county’s 2017 budget includes funding for the shelter but they remain concerned about future budgets because of declining property-tax revenues.
