New top dog sought for animal shelter fund drive

By Dan MacArthur
Fossil Creek Current

With its new homesite secured, the Larimer Humane Society now is searching for a new executive director to lead an ambitious effort to raise almost $10 million for a new Loveland campus.

The society in October closed on the $1.454-million property following the city's agreement to annex it. Located between the Fort Collins-Loveland Airport and County Road 30 just east of Boyd Lake Avenue, the 26-acre parcel is nearly three times larger than the shelter's current home in southeast Fort Collins.

The humane society within two years hopes to triple the size of its cramped quarters, according to spokeswoman Cary Rentola. She said the proposed 30,000- to 35,000-square-foot main building would better serve both animals and people with increased space for shelter and animal-care activities.

Rentola said the new building would include two additional state-of-the art surgery suites as well as recovery and isolation rooms.

There would be more room for stray dogs, Rentola said. Dogs available for adoption would be housed in home-like settings where potential adopters could get to know them in a comfortable and less-stressful environment.

Similarly, she said, adoptable cats would live in a colony where kitty connoisseurs could scrutinize their interactions.

A separate 2,000-square-foot structure would house the Wildkind wildlife rehabilitation program. Rentola said it is the largest in the state, caring for nearly 3,000 animals a year. The facility would include outdoor flight cages for preparing rehabilitated birds for release.

Rentola said the capital campaign will begin when a new executive director is hired. "We'd love for it to be as soon as possible," she said.

Former director Joseph Olsen resigned in November to "move on to another opportunity," according to Rentola. She said a national search is now underway for a replacement with a strong background in management, animal welfare and capital campaigns.

Constructed 34 years ago, the current shelter has been repeatedly remodeled and reconfigured. Most recently, Rentola said, the society leased administrative office space on South College Avenue. The move freed up room to create two animal intake rooms and a conference room. It also allowed relocation of the foster care and information technology offices to better locations.

She said cat condos and outdoor flight cages also have been installed and can eventually be moved to the new facility.

"We keep trying to do the best with what we have," Rentola said.