Longmont Humane Society originally was part of Boulder County Humane Society. In 1972, the Longmont branch broke away to become a society in its own right.
They began life humbly in an old turkey shed on the edge of town. The challenges were long and hard. Inadequate facilities, over-crowding, and disease led to high euthanasia rates during the 1970s.
Things turned around in the mid-1980s due to the hard work and determination of the staff who helped raise $250,000 toward a new, improved facility. With extra funding from the Longmont City Council, they were able to start work on the new shelter in 1984.
In 2008, the society received a jaw-dropping donation of $5 million. This blessing enabled them to build a new state-of-the-art facility that could meet the demands of the ever-increasing numbers of animals in their care.
Today, despite previous hardships, the society has not only survived but been able to maintain exceptionally high success rates with low admission-to-adoption waiting times.
Each year more than 4,000 animals are admitted to the shelter, over 2,000 of which go on to find loving forever homes. Nearly 80 staff members and 800 volunteers work their socks off to give their animals the care and respect they deserve.
All animals available for adoption have a pet biography and photo on the shelter’s website. There's even information on their social ability with both dogs and cats, which is great to know if you already have a menagerie at home!
If you're interested in meeting any of the furry friends you spotted online, call Longmont Humane Society directly to schedule a visit. A helpful staff member will be only too happy to talk you through the adoption process and answer any questions you may have.
Animals can be placed on hold with a non-refundable, non-transferable $20 fee. This fee doesn't count toward your final adoption costs but does go toward helping more animals in need.
If you're considering adopting a dog and have another one at home, Longmont Humane Society recommends you bring them along when you come in for your appointment. A doggy meet-and-greet will be arranged to make sure that your new bud will get along with everyone else in your family, too!
When adopting dogs and cats, you'll also need to bring a leash, collar, and carrier (also for small mammals) to take them home safely. The shelter has a retail store where you can purchase anything you may need for a successful first day.
Adoption fees at Longmont Humane Society vary according to each animal's age, behavior, demand, and health. All individual adoption fees are listed on the website under each pet's biography. In general, the starting prices for each pet are as follows:
• Dogs: From $60
• Cats: From $25
• Other small mammals: From $15
The shelter also runs a Seniors (age 55+) for Seniors (ages 8+) program, where a 50% reduction in adoption fees is offered. A $15 rabies vaccine will also be required and applied to the final adoption fee.
Your adoption fee covers the following services:
Our writing team is hard at work researching this shelter's adoption process and fees, so this page will be updated soon!
In the meantime, here's some nice-to-know info that applies to nearly every animal shelter, humane society, and rescue.
Because shelter dogs are full of love!
Is it because they know you saved them and love you harder for it?
I can't say for certain, but yes.
Jokes aside, there are three things all shelter dogs need to thrive in their new home:
Older shelter dogs, generally 1+ years old, may have experienced a lot of trauma, which often results in one of 8 common behavioral issues:
These issues are correctable! Your dog isn't broken, they're just damaged. You can fix them with enough love, patience, and a good training plan.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, finding good dog trainers can be hard. Like everything else, dog training is moving only. but there are great online dog trainers that are proven to work and can help get your new pup on the right path.
You can learn a lot about an animal welfare organization just by looking at their name.
Adoption processes vary drastically from organization to organization, but here are some general tips that apply in most instances. Note that we'll use the term "shelters" here for simplicity but it includes all types of rescue organizations.
If you have any questions about adopting an animal (what you'll need, what to expect, etc.) feel free to contact the PetLists team!
If you're looking to adopt a new dog, our Dog Adoption Guide is a must-read. It has everything you need to know about bringing a shelter dog home:
And we're adding new guides all the time.
