LOVELAND, Colo. — About 80 large dogs have been removed from a Lyons property after the tenant, accused of operating an unlicensed pet facility called Just 4 Jacks Ranch & Sanctuary, was served with an eviction notice.
Judy Calhoun, CEO of NOCO Humane — which is a combination of the former Larimer Humane Society and the Humane Society of Weld County — said when people open animal sanctuaries or rescues, it’s usually not out of the goodness of their hearts and to make sure the animals are well. taken care of But when they start this work, they must make sure that they have the appropriate licenses and zoning.
About 80 dogs were removed from an unlicensed animal facility in Lyons
That’s the issue at the heart of the legal battle involving Just 4 Jacks that resulted in the recent removal of about 80 dogs from the property.
Under the rules of the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act (PACFA), any person harboring more than 15 dogs or cats must have a pet animal care facility license, that the CDA said that Just 4 Jacks founder Drew Renkewitz did not get. He has operated the facility for about 3.5 years, he said.
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Renkewitz applied for a valid license in March 2023, but failed PACFA pre-license inspections on April 4, June 20, Aug. 1 and Oct. 16, 2023, according to court documents.
On Oct. 30, 2023, PACFA denied the license application. It issued a notice of denial and a cease and desist order ordering Renkewitz to shelter 82 dogs — mostly husky mixes — without proper licenses, according to the CDA and court documents.
On January 4, the Commissioner of Agriculture filed suit in Larimer County District Court for Renkewitz’s refusal to comply with the order.
Larimer County District Court issued a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction ordering him to move the dogs out of state or surrender them to NoCo Humane by Jan. 30. It was upgraded to a permanent injunction on Jan. 30 and the court ordered the PACFA program to take possession of the dogs and transfer ownership if they were not removed from the property by midnight, according to the CDA.
The following day, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office executed a writ of restitution, removing Renkewitz from the Lyons property.
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Staff from CDA’s PACFA program, the sheriff’s office and NOCO Humane helped remove more than 80 dogs that day. The group had been preparing for about a month to move the animals in case Renkewitz was evicted and the dogs were not removed from the property by the Jan. 30 midnight deadline.
Of the 82 dogs found, one was euthanized by Renkewitz on January 30, according to the CDA. No other details were immediately available in that case. Three dogs could not be caught, but NOCO Humane is working to secure them. The remaining 78 dogs were transferred to 11 animal welfare organizations across the state.
That includes:
- Animal Friends Alliance
- Cheyenne Animal Shelter
- Dumb Friends League
- Foothills Animal Shelter
- Boulder Valley Humane Society
- Humane Society of the Pike Peak Region
- Mattersville
- Maxfund
- National Mill Dog Rescue
- NOCO Humane’s Larimer Campus in Loveland
- Riverdale Animal Shelter
Two wolves were also found on the property and taken to a wolf sanctuary, according to NOCO Humane.
“Although this is a challenging situation, the dogs have been taken in by animal welfare experts and will be examined and treated by veterinarians and hopefully they will be ready for adoption in the near future,” said Nick Fisher, head of the PACFA program section.
Meanwhile, Renkewitz said he will try to fight to get the dogs back, calling them his family. She said they all come from shelters and rescues, as well as abuse situations.
“I have dogs that need medications. I have dogs that are older. I have dogs that are on bond,” he said Thursday. “I offered while they were there for me to sit — making sure everyone would go together. They didn’t care. I wanted to give them all the dog’s names. They didn’t care. I wanted to give them all the dog medications. They don’t care.”
Renkewitz said the dogs run free on his property and are not confined, which the state wants him to do.
“They’ve been living in a sanctuary for three years — three and a half years,” he said. “They know what freedom is. They don’t know what prison is.”
Calhoun with NOCO Humane, which was not involved in the state or court decision to remove the dogs, said all the dogs appeared healthy and socialized with other dogs and people. He said they know some of the dogs have medical issues, so they’re working to make sure they get checked out quickly.
NOCO Humanitarian
“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 outside,” she said.
Each dog will undergo a medical and behavioral evaluation. Calhoun said she believes the dogs would make “great adoption candidates.”
Only 4 Jacks
“We recognize that this is a challenging and devastating situation for everyone involved,” he said. “But we are also grateful that we have the capacity to give these beautiful animals a home in the face of homelessness.”
He saw some of the dogs Thursday morning and said they seemed calm and relaxed.
Anyone interested in adopting these dogs should visit NOCOHumane.org. Its list of adoptable animals is updated every fifteen minutes. Calhoun reminds potential adopters that huskies are an active breed and need plenty of daily exercise.
