The Cortez Animal Shelter is ramping up operations in response to public demand.

New hours and more staff will give the public more access to the service, said shelter supervisor Jennifer Crouse.

“To be more public friendly we’re almost doubling our hours,” she said. “We’re hoping it will help boost adoptions.”

Starting May 12, the hours for the shelter will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

To accommodate the longer hours, the City of Cortez increased the program’s budget, allowing new hiring.

The shelter performs a number of services related to pets and strays. Law enforcement brings in runaway pets, they take in abandoned or mistreated animals, and residents often surrender their pets to them.

Vets contracted with the shelter perform spay and neuter services. And of course much effort is put into caring for and finding homes for our furry, four-legged community members.

“We have a good rate for finding homes,” Crouse said.

Interestingly, the local shelter is a source for pets for Front Range communities where there are fewer strays.

“Other areas spay and neuter so much that there are no puppies and kittens, so there is a need for animals up there that we help with,” Crouse said.

The Cortez Animal Shelter brings in animals from the Four Corner states and transports 70 percent of them to Denver-area humane societies.

“Rather than euthanize, we transport, but we want to get more adoptions here,” Crouse said.

The occasional tendency for tourists to bring in dogs and cats roaming on nearby reservations is frowned upon, Crouse says.

“Cortez is often the first town they come to, but it is illegal to take animals from the reservation,” she said.

The shelter does not take wildlife – that is the job of Colorado Parks and Wildlife. When snakes, birds, and turtles are abandoned or escape from their owners, the shelter works with the Pet Pad to find homes.

One problem in Montezuma County is feral cat colonies. If captured by animal control, the animals are spayed or neutered and then released as a population-control measure.

The shelter is located 2791 E. Main Cortez. Call 565-4910 or go to http://www.cityofcortez.com/ under the resident tab and animal services.

jmimiaga@cortezjournal.com