Intermountain Humane Society

Thanks to our compassionate supporters, the Intermountain Humane Society (IMHS) is able to provide a unique lifeline to homeless cats and dogs in our mountain region. We accept owner-surrendered and stray animals from our local community and we partner with other shelters, which have higher animal intake or fewer resources to regularly accept transfers of animals on a space-available basis.

We work with other agencies to examine how to lower the number of homeless animals throughout our state, so all shelters will be able to improve their adoption and return-to-owner rates and lower euthanasia. We also seek to educate and engage the public, which is key to lowering the births of animals destined to become homeless in an already overcrowded world and to prevent broken commitments due to unrealistic expectations of what is involved in a lifetime relationship with a dog or cat.

We set no time limits for how long an animal is available for adoption. Animals are never euthanized because of space limitations. It is very rare for us to euthanize; and when we do, it is only for significant health or behavioral issues; we do not take lightly the decision to end a life. We do not accept dogs or cats with a history of aggression and we do not accept wolf-hybrids.
 
We actively work to maintain a 100% placement rate for adoptable animals. However, we try to steer away from the "kill vs. no kill” argument and object to these simplistic marketing slogans that don’t accurately reflect an agency’s commitment to caring for animals, or tackling the root causes of overpopulation. Rather than criticizing shelters that must euthanize because they are under-resourced, we strive to forge and nurture collaborative partnerships with overcrowded shelters and share resources, so we can act as a lifeline to animals in need. Intermountain Humane Society actively participates in the Metro-Denver Shelter Alliance in an effort to seek region-wide solutions to dog and cat homelessness.

Through effective use of our resources (including foster caregivers, enrichment volunteers, and medical care), we provide rehabilitation and behavioral and medical treatment for many animals, to increase their chances of finding a home. Success is seen every day - for example, when an untrained 9 month old Chow/Retriever mix pup surrendered for bad behavior is transformed into a well-mannered dog who can now sit, stay, and heel on command. Even a cat with a severe disability receives a new lease on life thanks to a dedicated volunteer veterinarian, CVT, and special foster caregiver who did not give up on her.

Intermountain Humane Society is a place for second chances.  

We provide those second chances through vital programs including:

1) Lost/Found: We work with Park County Animal Control and Jefferson County Animal Control, as well as, private citizens who find strays, to reunite lost cats or dogs with their guardians. We scan for microchips and maintain a lost/found database, as well as posting to relevant websites.

2) Adoptions: Our shelter is open 7 days a week, with evening hours on Wednesday. We also partner with PetSmart and Petco with cat and dog adoptions.  We also promote adoptions (and spay-neuter and licensing/identification) at special events.  

3) Spay-Neuter: Our all-volunteer veterinary staff spay and neuter all animals (including puppies and kittens) prior to adoption. The in-house spay-neuter clinic was created with volunteer labor to help reduce expenses to provide this vital service. We actively work with other nonprofits to provide spay-neuter to animals in indigent households, animals who are feral,  or for animals who repeatedly run stray.

Thift Store: The 2nd Chance Thrift Store is open Tuesday through Saturday, and is staffed entirely by dedicated volunteers so that 100% of proceeds fund IMHS programs that save animals.