After the pandemic puppy rush of 2020, our shelters and rescues are full again. And there is a dirty little secret that’s not so secret in the animal-rescue community about why it’s happening. It’s nicknamed “retail rescue.”
“Retail rescues” present themselves as honorable players in the animal welfare space in our state but are covers for million-dollar schemes. These nonprofits prey on people’s love of animals to make big money, charging high dollar amounts to “adopt” puppies brought in from out of state.
They often “flip” them quickly to buyers without proper health checks or letting enough time go by to make sure they are not sick. Unsuspecting buyers, who want to rescue a pup, are often left heartbroken, and broke, when their puppies become sick and even die.
It looks like about 50,000 dogs were brought into Colorado during COVID-19, mostly puppies. Yes, 50,000!
There are 149 rescue-focused nonprofits in our state — the top 15 move about 60% of the dogs. One of the top three sold over 3,500 puppies in 2017-2019 and had revenue of almost $2 million during that time. The “adoption” fees with spay/neuter were upwards of $1,000 for some “desirable” puppies.
Denver Gazette: Let us be the voice for Afghanistan’s women
“I’ve felt deep, deep sadness this week for the 19 million women and girls across the earth in Afghanistan. Eleven million women in America head back to college in the coming weeks and 144 women sit in our U.S. Capitol leading our country. Sadly, the women now ruled by the Taliban face a sudden and horrifying shift in their lives that we can’t fathom here.”