General Background Information
Before I began posting individual profiles of animals up for adoption at the Larimer Humane Society, I wanted to provide some background information about the shelter and how the shelter evaluates animals from adoption.
The Larimer Humane Society is a non-profit organization funded by donations and animal control contracts with the county and cities within the county. The shelter is classified as an open door shelter as they will accept any type of stray or surrendered animal, including exotics, no matter the health condition or past aggressive behavior status (only exemption in large animals as the facility has no room to care for the animals but will direct to rescue organizations). This open door policy is different from a no-kill shelter that limits what types of animals the shelter will accept as they want to remain no-kill. As an open door shelter, however, the Larimer Humane society does not put all of the animals taken up for adoption and animals in chronic, painful health conditions or fail aggression tests will be euthanized. But, any animal at the shelter that makes adoptable animal status and is placed in adoptions, stays in adoptions until adopted. The only exception to this rule is if an adoptable animal bites a person where the skin is broken. These animals are evaluated for ten days to see if an incident reoccurs and if no aggressive behavior is seen, the animal is placed back in adoptions, but if aggressive and biting behavior continues, the animal will be euthanized.
Classification as an open shelter allows the Larimer Humane Society to have a variety of adoptable animals that come from two main sources: strays and surrenders. Stray animals brought into the Humane Society are held only for five days as legislated by Larimer County. If an animal is not reclaimed by the end of a five day period, the animal is placed under evaluation for promotion to adoptable animal. Surrenders, on the other hand, come from owners who surrender their animals to the shelter due to inability to care or provide for the animal. A background history is taken from these animals and then they are also evaluated for adoptions.
The evaluation for adoption differs for each type of animal such as dogs, cats, and small mammals (exotics do not have evaluations). Small mammals usually do not have a evaluation for adoption as these animals tend not to be “comfort” pets, but overly bite ambitious small mammals may be removed from adoptions. Cats, on the other hand, are evaluated in terms of sociability and ability to handle which often defines a cat from a feral cat. Mostly this assessment is whether a cat can be approached or held without fear aggression, hissing, scratching, or biting. This does not mean extremely shy cats or all feral cats are euthanized, but depends on the scale of aggression. Lastly, dogs are evaluated in a tiered safe evaluation looking at several different forms of dog aggression including: dominance aggression, food aggression, sensitivity aggression, child aggression, toy aggression, and sometimes other dog aggression. This scale rates from A to F for each category with a C or higher being acceptable. However, dog to dog aggression and child aggression do not ban a dog form adoptions if failed, but just places waivers on the dog to be the only dog in a new family or only in a house with children over 12 respectively.
Lastly, once a dog or cat makes it to adoptions, they undergo a final test of personality known as meet your match. Meet your match personality assessment in dogs is based on energy level and maintenance (training and day to day requirements). Dogs can be placed in a purple, orange, or green category with purple being lowest energy, lowest maintenance, orange the in between, and green the highest energy, highest maintenance. To determine a dog’s color they are tested for jumping (energy and training), what they do if left alone in a room (will they destroy the place), play test (how play motivated are they), food test (how trained and food motivated the dog is), and other general comments placed by evaluators. Green dogs tend to be more playful, jump more, get distracted with food motivation or know very little commands. Cats have a similar assessment, but the tests scale sociability and confidence which includes playfulness. The last of the meet your match requires individuals looking at these animals to feel out surveys to see what animal color they match with, but this does not mean you are limited to that match. All adoptable animals can be visited in a visit room at the shelter and must be visited with before adopting and can also be placed on hold for 10.00 for only 24 hours that is non-refundable if adoption does not occur.
All animals at the Larimer Humane society are neutered/spayed, given rabies, distemper, and other required shots, deworming, and are microchipped. Adoptable animals come with a free colar (if applicable) and a donated pet exam and bag of feed.
Return Policies
If in the first two weeks the animal is diagnosed with a major medical problem, a full refund will be provided. Along with that policty, the shelter gives a 3 month period and if in that time an animal does not work out and is returned, the shelter will give a voucher for another animal.
Pricing
Dogs 6 months and younger: 125.00 + 10.00 licensing fee (if within Larimer County)
Dogs 7 months and older: 100.00 + 10.00 licensing fee (if within Larimer County)
Cats 6 months and younger: 125.00 + 10.00 licensing fee (if live in Loveland or Fort Collins)
Cats 7 months and older: 50.00 + 10.00 licensing (if live in Loveland or Fort Collins)
Small mammals: range from 5.00 to 30.00 dollars
