City is Offering Special on Animal Adoption Fees

Brindle Pit Bull Available for Adoption

Lamar Code Enforcement Officer, Ken Davis, has hopes several dogs at the Municipal Animal Shelter will soon become a household pet.  A small handful, five Pit Bulls and one Rottweiler have remained unclaimed at the shelter for the past several months and Davis hopes they can find a home before the end of the year. 

“They’re all good dogs, and I realize some people are fearful of the Pit Bull reputation, but these animals would make a good house pet, but just where they would be the only animal in residence,” he explained recently.  Davis explained that in a single animal family, four of the dogs would be okay, but they do have the inclination to be the dominant animal when they’re around other dogs.  “They’re all awesome dogs with people, but it just seems that this would work better for everyone involved,” he stated last week at the shelter.  Davis said he felt the other Pit Bull would be able to live with a family that had other animals. 

“The local Second Chance Animal group is working with the Colorado Humane Society from Colorado Springs for placement, but the Society is not interested in working with pits,” Davis said, adding that it’s mostly because of animal regulations in Colorado Springs that prohibits Pit Bulls across the board.  Davis said he’s spoken with the interim Lamar Police Chief Miller, and the department will waive the $30 adoption fee and the neuter/spade fee of $75 for these Pit Bulls will also waived when the owner has them altered.  “The way it will work,” he explained, “is that you will pay the $75 deposit, but when you redeem the receipt from any local vet, we’ll refund that fee back to you.”  Davis said this is a kind of holiday special that will be available during the holiday season.

“We’re hoping the community would step up for adoption. The female Pit is an awesome dog and she’d get along with other dogs in a household,” he commented.  That brindle female is two years old, a white Pit is three years old, the black male Pit is one year old and the shelter has a female Pinscer Mix that’s about a year old, named Rosie, according to one of the local veterinarians.  “We’re speculating the female Rottweiler is about two years old,” he said.  He said he doesn’t feel that the Rottweiler has been socialized all that much with other animals, although Davis said she’s ‘sweet’ with people.

Davis said he has hopes the shelter will get a desk clerk again.  The shelter is located on CR EE.5 off Memorial Drive, just past the Veteran’s section of Fairmount Cemetery.  Right now, you have to call the local dispatch number to make an appointment to view a dog, or to see about a lost pet that may have been picked up by the Animal Control officers.  “If we get a desk clerk, it’ll be easier for people to come out here and take a look at the dogs.  We haven’t had a clerk for about six or seven years and they used to spend around four or five hours a day at the shelter.”

The city has hired a replacement Code Enforcement Officer.  Joelene Inman recently joined Davis on the force.  Both officers keep busy each day.  The city’s daily police rounds report is at least 50% calls for lost, abandoned, injured or mostly loose and roaming dogs in the neighborhoods.  Davis is a strong fan of neutering or spaying family pets, just to reduce the overpopulation of strays in the city.  He said it becomes both a health and a safety issue and the animals can suffer from injuries, disease or starvation.  Call 336-3977 or 336-8769 for more information on adopting a pet from the Lamar Animal Shelter or to have an issue explained.

By Russ Baldwin