How a rural Colorado town is trying to fix its stray dog problem

Sep 30, 2025

NEWS

LAMAR, Colo. — Pet overpopulation and off-leash dogs in Lamar is becoming a growing concern for the community.

“I've been chased by multiple dogs, and I've also had my own dog attacked by an off leash dog,” said Aimee Jackson, who lives on the south end of the town. “Most of the dogs I've been accosted by have been very reactive or even flat-out aggressive.”

Between July and August, at least 21 posts about lost or missing dogs were shared in the Lamar Chat Facebook group, which has 4,700 members. This prompted Mayor Kirk Crespin of Lamar, a city of about 7,500 people, to address the issue at the August 25 City Council meeting.

“I believe the problem has been increasing over the last two to three years,” Crespin said. “It’s a mixture of pet overpopulation, but more importantly, people aren’t as responsible for their pets as they used to be. This has caused the problem of stray dogs that are running loose or pet owners who want to have their dogs out off leash, but are not utilizing the spaces that are meant for off-leash dogs.”

By stray dogs, Crepsin said he is referring to dogs that have been abandoned by their owners.

One solution was the recent hiring of a code enforcement/animal control officer who is responsible for investigating and enforcing City of Lamar code and animal violations. The city is actively searching for a second officer, and an offer is already out, Crespin said, with hopes to fill the position by October 1.

Crespin said the positions could pay between $65,000 and $75,000.

“So to add two new officers, that’s a pretty significant portion of our budget,” Crespin said.

In addition to hiring new officers, the city increased the fee to retrieve lost pets from $50 to $100 in October 2024.

“Even though we’ve increased the fines to come pick up their animals, many times, they choose to let their pets go back to the city instead of paying the fine,” he said. “So then we have to verify the pet has all their shots and get them ready to be rehomed.”

Within the last two years, a new ordinance was put in place limiting the number of dogs per household to three, with an exception for registered breeders.

Crespin said enforcing the ordinances pulls police officers from more crucial work.

“When we have to take time from our police officers to try to capture dogs at large, it makes it difficult because our police officers should be working on other and more important issues, such as domestic violence, drug enforcement and other civil crimes,” he said.

But even with more code enforcement officers and higher fines, Crespin believes the issue won't be resolved without community involvement. A public awareness campaign is planned for early 2026 to remind residents of the importance of following city rules, regulations and codes.

Jessica Denison’s service dog, Blue, was hit by a vehicle on August 8 and had to be put down shortly after. Photo courtesy Denison

Cassie Hernandez, who lives in Lamar, on a handful occasions has found dogs wandering her neighborhood and tried to locate their owners by posting photos on Facebook. The most recent incident happened a couple of weeks ago.

“My son was at a friend's house and they were playing by the canal and the dog had followed them home,” Hernandez said. “I parked to get a photo. My son really wanted to take him home, but I am a single mom working full time… I don’t have the time to take care of the dog.”

Instances like these are nothing new. In 2024, the Lamar Police Department’s animal control unit received 1,187 calls, most of which concerned loose dogs.

“We will attempt to try and locate the dog. If after six days no one comes to claim them, they then become property of the city,” said Kenzi Tefertiller, who manages records for the city’s police department and municipal court. “We do our best to try to get them new homes whether that’s through our shelter or a partner shelter.”

The Lamar Animal Shelter is operated by the Lamar Police Department and managed by Bob Krum. According to Krum, animals are vaccinated upon arrival and scanned for microchips to gather any available information. If unclaimed after six days, dogs are placed for adoption. When the shelter reaches capacity, animals are transferred to partner organizations such as the Humane Society and the Foothills Animal Shelter.

About ten dogs are brought into the Lamar Animal Shelter each week, Krum said. Roughly 70% of the dogs are eventually returned to owners.

“In cases of extreme aggression where we can’t get them to socialize, we have to euthanize the dogs,” he said.

The last time a dog had to be put down at the shelter was in early August. In 2024, the shelter euthanized 32 dogs.

“The community has to get more responsible and involved,” Krum said.

Some community members believe residents need to be more mindful and respectful of dogs in the area. For Jessica Denison, letting her dog off-leash ended in tragedy. Around 10 p.m. on August 8, she let her service dog, Blue, outside to use the bathroom.

“He was very smart. He knew how to undo his cable in case of any emergency since I have seizures. He slipped his cable off that night and before we could get to him, he ran off to the highway… and he had gotten hit,” Denison said.

Denison’s boyfriend, Taylor Osbment, who ran to get Blue, said there wasn’t much traffic on the road. However, he’s unsure which vehicle hit the dog. The driver didn’t stop.

“His legs, his back and his neck were broken. Once I got there, I started helping him calm down. He kept trying to get up to come home with me because he knows my voice,” Osbment said. “I finally got him to just lay there until the officer got to the scene. The officer… she didn’t want to do it, but I said, ‘he’s gotta be put down, he’s just sitting here suffering.’”

The officer on sight made a phone call to get her sergeant to the scene. The sergeant instructed a younger officer to shoot Blue.

“They shot him in the head with it. The younger officer started crying and the female officer that was originally on scene, she started crying,” Osbment said. “The sergeant, he just acted like it wasn’t nothing.”

Type of story: News
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