Huge debts come along with 100 rescued animals as UnderDogz takes over Mile High Humane Society

If you watched 9News recently, you may have seen a report by Anastasiya Bolton about an animal shelter struggling to keep its animals safe, warm, and fed. UnderDogz Animal Assistance Coalition took over Mile High Humane Society, which could no longer afford to keep the shelter, on June 24th. Unfortunately, that also meant taking over many of the organization's financial obligations.

On July 4th, many from the Thornton area and beyond helped UnderDogz with an outpouring of assistance in the form of adoptions, donations, and personal sponsorships. An anonymous rescue assistance organization that redistributes to shelters the dog food that retail establishments are about to throw away brought in a truckload of dog and cat food for the homeless pets.

"This community has already supported our efforts tremendously," says UnderDogz volunteer Deborah Ray. "It's so moving to see the additional support that our neighbors and friends are willing to give and continue giving. It's just amazing, and we are so thankful for what the 9News report did for us."

However, as founder and director Stacey Pekish says, "There is still a long way to go here. The amount of work that needs to be done is almost staggering. But I say it again-there is no question. We're just going to do it."

A tour of the facility will reveal cage locks that need replaced. Lighting needs improvement. Kennels need sanded and repainted. Pekish wants the facility to "look as good as we all feel about our work here."

There have also been some procedural changes for the shelter that have increased expenses. They have adopted a no-kill policy--as long as an animal is not a danger to the community and medical treatments will not be inhumane, the animal will be cared for all its life. UnderDogz has also started microchipping adopted animals to make it easier for new families to recover lost or escaped pets.

Many community members who could not adopt or give financial assistance came out to volunteer over the weekend. Some of them were as young as 10 years old. Ray, who gives her time in web and information development and customer care, brought her two children in to work with her. "Sure they'd love to be out walking dogs all day, but they know the importance of keeping the cages clean, feeding the animals, and helping organize the shelter," she says.

Ashleigh Ray, 12, started out helping Mile High with a donation drive last year and has been there ever since. "I've probably spent a total of 100 hours volunteering here, with about 50 hours helping UnderDogz during their transition." She wants to be a veterinarian, and feels that this is a great place to start.

Ashleigh's brother, Alex, also works at the shelter. He may be only 10, but he loves the work as well as the animals. Although he makes a lot of furry friends at UnderDogz, he says his favorite part is seeing the animals go home. "I was really excited the other day when I helped get the last cat with a 2007 intake date get adopted. I asked the family if they needed help, got them together with the cat, and answered questions."

Deborah Ray says that Ashleigh and Alex have become such dedicated volunteers that the UnderDogz staff added the kids' cell phone numbers to the staff contact list.

Although the general air is more upbeat at UnderDogz after the July 4th open house, there is still a long way to go. They have until July 10th to make rent, and in the meantime still have medical care, facility maintenance, and other expenses to meet.

If you have been thinking of adopting, sponsoring, volunteering, or donating to a worthy 501(c)3 nonprofit, go to UnderDogz and see how you can help. They are located at 11470 York St., Thornton, CO80233. You can also call them at 303-452-2224, or email them at info@underdogz-aac.org.