Pueblo, Colorado

Sec. 11-4-16. – Disposition of impounded animals.

(c) If an animal is not redeemed within five (5) days after the receipt of notice by the owner or within five (5) days after impoundment if the owner cannot be determined, it shall be deemed abandoned and become the property of the Shelter Operator. Upon adoption of any animal eligible for adoption from the Shelter Operator, and payment of the adoption fee therefor, the animal shall be either spayed or neutered by a licensed veterinarian at the animal shelter or the person adopting the animal shall execute a written agreement that the animal will be spayed or neutered within thirty (30) days of adoption and release. No animal adopted from the animal shelter shall be released without first having been spayed or neutered or before the written agreement is filed with the Shelter Operator.

(1) Where an adopted animal is released pursuant to a written agreement to spay or neuter the animal, the person adopting the animal shall file, within thirty (30) days of the animal’s release, proof of the fact that the animal has been spayed or neutered by submitting to the Shelter Operator a certification from the appropriate spay-neuter clinic, veterinarian or other provider of such services.

(2) In the event a person signs an agreement to spay or neuter an animal pursuant to this Subsection (c), it shall be unlawful and a Class 2 municipal offense for such person to fail to timely spay or neuter the animal pursuant to the agreement or to fail to timely file proof of such fact with the Shelter Operator.

(3) In the event a person signs an agreement to spay or neuter an animal pursuant to Paragraph (2) above and such person fails to timely file proof of the fact that the animal has been spayed or neutered, the Animal Control Officer may petition the Municipal Court to order the seizure and impoundment of the animal.

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(e) The Shelter Operator shall establish a spay/neuter program in order to implement the spaying or neutering of animals from the Shelter Operator in accordance with Subsection (c) of this Section. The program shall provide for the following minimum requirements:

(1) Any licensed veterinarian shall be permitted to participate in the program by agreeing to perform spay/neuter procedures upon animals adopted from the Shelter Operator.

(2) Spay/neuter procedures shall be performed in accordance with recognized practice of veterinarians and according to the standard of care in effect for such procedures in this region.

(3) No participating veterinarian shall have any claim against the City for compensation for services, fees, equipment or supplies, or for damages or injury to persons or property, arising from or related to the performance of spay/neuter procedures upon animals located at or transported or adopted from the Pueblo Animal Shelter unless such veterinarian has a duly authorized contract therefor with the City and such claim is made in accordance with the terms of said contract. For purposes of this Subsection, the Shelter Operator shall not be deemed an agent of the City. Nothing in this Subsection is intended to prohibit, impair, affect or modify any provision in any agreement between a veterinarian and any nonprofit corporation acting as Shelter Operator.