January 1, 2012

By Judy Calhoun, Executive Director

I normally love the start of a new year: new ideas, new opportunities, a new start. Unfortunately, in Loveland, the new year isn’t as bright as we had originally hoped, at least in terms of the animal control field services we will be offering to the residents in 2012. As part of the City of Loveland’s plan to prevent a possible $33.5 million deficit in its general fund over the next 10 years, the City has elected to reduce its contract with us by 20 percent or $90,000.

The decision to reduce public services and programs based on budget constraints is never an easy one. We certainly don’t fault the City staff or elected officials for the reduction, but as a non-profit organization, we are reliant on the revenue we receive from the contracts we have with the municipalities to perform all necessary animal control services.  As contract revenue is reduced, services must be scaled back accordingly.

We recognize that the change in animal control field service will have a significant impact on the residents of Loveland. We would like to apologize in advance for any delay that you may experience in calls that you make to our Animal Protection & Control department this year, and ask for your understanding and patience as we respond to calls throughout the city.

We will have one officer responding to calls five days a week: Sunday-Thursday from 10-6. There is a lot of territory to cover, and with an estimated 66,859 animals residing in Loveland, the task at hand will not be easy. All of our other services, including our shelter, will be available seven days a week.

Please, if you see a lost, stray or abandoned animal in distress (and you feel safe doing so), will you consider bringing it into the shelter? Our shelter is located at 6317 Kyle Avenue, just off of Trilby between College and Lemay.

And, if you see our Loveland officer responding to a call, will you offer a simple wave or smile?

A little goes a long way, and that’s what we’re hoping to do for Loveland.

Together, we can make a difference for animals in our community.