Adams County’s “unprecedented” pet surge: Five hoarding probes push shelter past 540 animals

By Adria Iraheta | Denver7

The Riverdale Animal Shelter has received mass intakes from five investigations in the past two months. Denver7 spoke with shelter officials about how you can help.

BRIGHTON, Colo. — The Riverdale Animal Shelter in Brighton is looking to the community for support after receiving hundreds of animals from multiple hoarding cases over the past two months.

On Wednesday alone, the shelter took in more than 100 animals from a home in the 14600 block of Umpire Street in unincorporated Adams County as part of an animal cruelty investigation. No arrests have been made, according to Sergeant Shea Haney with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.

“Upon execution of the search warrant, they seized about 101 animals from the property,” Haney told Denver7. “Sugar gliders, some rats, a hedgehog, snakes.”

The shelter has received mass intakes from five investigations in the past two months — an unprecedented situation in Adams County. 

“It’s not common at all,” Haney said.  

At the beginning of the week, the shelter’s population was somewhere around 375 to 400 animals, which is what they typically see at the end of summer. With this latest intake, however, they now have more than 540 animals in the shelter. 

Shelter officials told Denver7 they are not at capacity yet, thanks to the number of people interested in adoption.

“While having several mass impound situations back-to-back is unprecedented, it’s a powerful reminder of how we serve the community by providing animals a safe place and compassionate care,” said Riverdale Animal Shelter director Stephanie Wilde.

The shelter is able to serve as many animals as it does thanks to its fosters.

“In the last two years, I’ve had 51 fosters,” said Marion Lorenzo.

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