A woman examines one of the dogs that was rescued on Jan. 31, 2023, from an unlicensed pet facility in Lyons. (Provided by NOCO Humane)
Seventy-eight large dogs were rescued from an unlicensed pet facility in Lyons on Wednesday, with 72 transferred to shelters and rescues along the Front Range.
The dogs — mostly Husky mixes and other cold-weather breeds — were recovered after the property’s tenant was evicted in December after operating a pet care facility for more than a year without a license, according to NOCO Humane Director of Development & Community Relations Amanda Myers.
“We are happy to report that the dogs appear to be both healthy and socializing well with other dogs and people,” NOCO Humane CEO Judy Calhoun said in a release Wednesday. “Hopefully, this means they won’t have to spend too much time in an unfamiliar shelter environment, especially since these dogs are used to living outdoors.”
The state ordered the tenant to cease and desist from harboring, confining, and housing 82 dogs without a valid pet animal care facility license, which is required under state law for anyone housing more than 15 dogs or cats at once, according to a statement Thursday from the Colorado Department of Agriculture. But the tenant refused, prompting the state to issue a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, requiring them to move the dogs out of state or surrender them by Jan. 30.
Of the 82 dogs, one was euthanized by the owner the day before the recovery and three were missed by NOCO Humane, the department said.
The department appointed NOCO Humane as the guardian of the dogs after the tenant was evicted, according to a NOCO release. In addition to the 72 dogs transferred to shelters and rescues, six will be taken to NOCO Humane’s Larimer Campus in Loveland for a full medical and behavioral evaluation.
NOCO Humane is a nonprofit animal welfare organization, providing adoption services, pet owner support and humane education, according to its release. Additionally, the organization holds contracts to provide animal control and grooming services in several Colorado locations, including Fort Collins, Loveland and Larimer County.
“We recognize that this is a challenging and devastating situation for everyone involved,” Calhoun said in the NOCO release. “But we are also grateful that we have the capacity to give these beautiful animals a home in the face of homelessness.”
