Model State Initiative

The Animal Assistance Foundation is committed to determining and describing the well-being of animals living in Colorado. Toward fulfillment of that commitment, AAF commissioned a research project (conducted by Corona Research in 2005 and 2006) to come up with a framework for defining and quantifying the current status of animal welfare in Colorado. The project generated a snapshot of Colorado's position relative to a Model State for Animal Welfare and continues to guide AAF grant-making, collaborative partnerships, and data collection efforts.

The project looked at five categories of animals: companion animals, exotic animals, laboratory animals, livestock, and wildlife, and developed seven indicators to watch:
(1) Live release rate of companion animals
(2) Attitudes toward specific breeds of companion animals (e.g., pit bull ownership)
(3) Licensing of shelters and animal rescue facilities for companion animals
(4) Dog and horse track racing
(5) Exotic wildlife sanctuaries
(6) Vehicle-wildlife collisions
(7) Violations of wildlife laws

Examples of Grants made to support Model State Initiatives:
Every Creature Counts, Byers
Southern Rockies Eco System Project, Denver
Second Chance Wildlife Center, Pueblo

Indicator (1) Live Release Rate of Companion Animals
The live release rate (LRR) in Colorado in 2005 was 73 percent. This means that 73 percent of the dogs, cats, and other animals entering Colorado's animal shelters are very likely to be adopted into a new home or returned to their owner; 37 percent are euthanized. The ASPCA has established a goal of 75 percent. Colorado is performing well by this indicator, but slipped to 72 percent in 2006 and 71 percent in 2007.

Indicator (2) Attitudes toward Specific Breeds of Companion Animals
Pit bull ownership is being scrutinized in several Colorado municipalities. Currently in Colorado, seven municipalities have regulations banning bit pulls. 2005 was the last year for a ban to be passed. Animal Assistance Foundation supports responsible pet ownership and appropriate behavior of children and adults around dogs, in addition to addressing the dangerous behavior of all breeds of dogs. Animals need to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Indicator (3) Licensing of Shelters and Animal Rescue Facilities for Companion Animals
There are 153 shelters and 145 rescue groups operating in Colorado. (A total of 295 facilities reported data in 2007 compared to 236 reporting in 2005; an increase of 25 percent.) Over the past six years there has been a 46 percent increase in the number of organizations that are licensed and are reporting data to the Colorado Department of Agriculture under the Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act (PACFA). Colorado is performing well by this indicator.

Indicator (4) Dog and Horse Track Racing
The dog and horse track racing industry is on the decline. In 2005 there were 269 dog track race days and 37 horse track races; in 2006 there were two dog tracks and one horse venues; in 2007 one of the dog tracks closed and in 2008, the remaining track closed in June instead of running through September. Mile High general manager Bruce Seymore said the track ran a full season in 2007 and lost $700,000 after being profitable in 2006. It had already decided not to run through the winter of 2008-09 and vacated race dates in November, December, January, and February. Kennel operators who care for and race the dogs had hoped to find a compromise to keep the season running past June, but they couldn't reach an agreement with track officials. Seymore said racing is set to resume in April 2009, but it wasn't clear how many kennel operators would return. Race tracks are not licensed by PACFA or by the Animal Welfare Act. The estimated number of dogs killed each year because they are not race worthy ranges from 5,000 to 20,000. Commercial dog racing is illegal in 34 states. No horse fatalities in Colorado were identified.

Indicator (5) Exotic Wildlife Sanctuaries
There are seven licensed exotic sanctuaries in Colorado. The majority of animals in these sanctuaries are older, retired entertainment stock; some are confiscations by USDA and other government agencies. Sanctuaries serve as a humane place for animals to live out their lives when they are no longer suitable for the entertainment industry or cannot be kept or handled by their owners. Laws throughout the country are in continual flux as the exotic population grows. The Colorado Conservation Summit took place on October 6th-8th, 2008 with plans to craft a 50-year vision for Colorado's wildlife and habitat.

Indicator (6) Vehicle-Wildlife Collisions
The national average for vehicle-wildlife collisions is 8.9 per 100,000 miles traveled. Colorado's average is slightly higher at 10.7 per 100,000 miles traveled. The higher average in Colorado may be a function of more wildlife and more vehicle traffic. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), in cooperation with the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW), Colorado State Parks (CSP), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), is continuing wildlife mitigation efforts on US 550 at Ridgway State Park, where wildlife-vehicle collisions have accounted for as much as 45 percent of all accidents along this stretch. Rocky Mountain Enterprises has been awarded the $223,600 contract for this project, which begins October 1, 2008 and will be completed in November.

Crews will install deer guards (similar to cattle guards) on the entrance and exit roads of the Dutch Charlie access to the park. The project also involves extending the existing wildlife fences up to the deer guards so that deer and elk cannot get through into the highway right of way. Pedestrian gates will be built in the fence near the guards and drainage improvements will be made. Crews have completed planting some trees and shrubs near the entrance as well.

CDOT continues to explore methods to reduce both the number and severity of wild animal/vehicle collisions. CDOT's Region 5 (southwest) is investigating the effectiveness of wildlife escape ramps on reducing wild animal/vehicle collisions near Ridgway State Park on US 550. The escape ramps, constructed in 2006, provide deer and elk trapped within the existing wildlife fenced highway right of way a better means to escape the fencing restrictions and move away from the highway and vehicles. There are eight miles of wildlife fencing along US 550 in the area and deer and elk enter into the highway right of way via several "uncontrolled" openings at public and private accesses (two of these such openings are at the park, where the deer guards are being built).

Three 6-foot ramps were constructed with earth material along the fencing near the park. A video camera was installed at one of the ramps in late February 2006. Video images show that this particular ramp is proving successful thus far.
The escape ramps are being tested on this portion of US 550 because it has an unusually high incidence of wildlife/vehicle accidents despite the presence of exclusionary wildlife fencing (30 percent of all accidents within a 10-year period-45 percent in 2004, the most recent statistics available). The fencing was put up in the early 1980s, when the highway was relocated as the Bureau of Land Management constructed the Ridgway Reservoir.

Wildlife mitigation test projects in other areas in the southwest include: variable message signs on US 550 between Ridgway and Montrose to alert drivers of wildlife near the highway; and highway right of way brush clearing (and a wildlife detection/driver warning system research project being advertised for construction in October) on US 160 between Durango and Bayfield.

Indicator (7) Violations of Wildlife Laws
For 2006, the Division of Wildlife wrote 6,912 citations for violations of wildlife law.

Click here to view a summary of data and the larger universe of indicators that were examined in the research project.

Every Creature Counts, Byers
Every Creature Counts received funding for surgical equipment for their new spay/neuter clinic. Their original mobile clinic began in 2002 to provide spay/neuter surgeries in areas with little or no services northeast of the Denver metro area. Since its inception, over 32,000 cats and dogs have been altered. In order to respond to increased demand, they have now established a permanent location in Brighton.

Southern Rockies Eco System Project, Denver
Funding has been provided for two years for the production of "Colorado Wildlife on the Move Driver Tip Sheets." Over 12,000 tip sheets have been distributed throughout Colorado to alert drivers to precautions to take in watching for wildlife on the roads.

Second Chance Wildlife Center, Pueblo
Second Chance Wildlife Center in Pueblo received a grant to support general operating costs. They provide a wildlife rehabilitation facility to which the general public, veterinarians, and state and local wildlife officials may bring injured or orphaned wildlife for care and release back into their natural habitat. They also provide public education programs.