10 DECEMBER 25-31, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | 23, the ACLU of Colorado fi led a lawsuit to obtain more details on ICE’s plans. On November 4, the City of Aurora re- vealed that it had delayed Baumgarten’s civil trial to January 27. According to Baumgar- ten’s lawyer, the prosecution said it “needed more time to get ready” – despite having fi led the lawsuit in November 2024. Aurora has yet to respond to that claim. Meanwhile, the Lakewood-based Aspire Property Manage- ment Incorporated had renovated two of Baumgarten’s former properties, the Edge and Whispering Pines, after acquiring them through a court-appointed receiver in Au- gust. By November, both were reopened and welcoming new tenants. On November 5, voters ousted Jurinsky and every con- servative Aurora City Council rep up for lection that day. Ju- rinsky, Kassaw (who worked at the ICE detention facility) and Steve Sundberg, who was known for racist rants and anti- panhandling campaigns, were all shown the door. They were replaced by progressives Rob Andrews, Alli Jackson, Amy Wiles and Gianina Horton (who won a seat given up by progres- sive Crystal Murillo after she chose not to run for reelection). More than a dozen Aurora residents came to the fi rst coun- cil meeting after the election to rip into the outgoing reps and the remaining conservatives on the dais, including Stepha- nie Hancock and Coffman, who will be up for election in 2027. Voters told Sundberg his “beard sucks” and referred to Hancock’s “bald-headed ass.” They probably would have words for Jurinsky, too, but she was a no-show. On December 1, the new members were sworn in, giving Aurora City Council a 6-5 progressive majority. Two weeks later, resi- dents were back at the next council meeting for a more civil discussion. Still, they had plenty of suggestions for this progressive council, including increasing affordable housing in Aurora and fi ring APD police chief Todd Chamberlain. On December 17, a federal judge ruled in favor of Crow’s lawsuit against the feds for deny- ing him access to the Aurora ICE facility; the decision blocked a Trump policy requiring seven days’ notice for a visit. Crow called it a “critical victory.” That same day, a federal judge ordered ICE to give Vizguerra a bond hearing, which could lead to her release from the Aurora detention facility before the end of the year. A new day is dawning in Aurora. Email the author at [email protected]. continued from page 8 A Doggone Shame DENVER ANIMAL SHELTER SAW A RECORD NUMBER OF PETS SURRENDERED IN 2025. BY HANNAH METZGER Employees at Denver Animal Protection turned to housing some shelter dogs and cats inside their offi ces this year. While the furry friends are welcome roommates, their new living arrangements are a matter of necessity, not fun. “We have more animals than we can fi t,” explains Aidan McMorrow, DAP’s community engagement administrator. “I like to have an of- fi ce cat in here, but the reason we’re doing this is because we just don’t have room.” The Denver Animal Shel- ter received an unprecedented number of pets given up by their owners in 2025. There were 2,810 animals surren- dered to the shelter between January 1 and December 15, according to data from the Denver Department of Public Health & Environment. That’s more than eight pets left at the one shelter every day of the year — the most annual surrenders since DAP started keeping track in 2005. Beginning in 2008, annual pet surrenders at the shelter were on a steady decline, reach- ing a record low of 743 in 2016. However, since 2020, the num- ber has increased by hundreds every year, according to DDPHE data. This year’s 2,810 surrenders refl ect a 236 percent increase from just fi ve years ago, and a 278 percent increase from the record low in 2016. “We need to see some serious changes,” McMorrow says. Why Is This Happening? DAP Director Melanie Sobel has attrib- uted the rise in pet surrenders to several contributing factors, some of which date back to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly one in fi ve American households adopted a pet during the pandemic, ac- cording to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The wave in demand resulted in breeders producing more cats and dogs, many of which were not spayed or neutered. At the same time, pandemic restrictions limited service at veterinary clinics, further reducing access to spay and neuter care for these new pets, Sobel explains. Kittens and puppies soon fl ooded shelters. Some were accidental litters from the new, intact animals adopted by Coloradans, and others left over from breeders who couldn’t unload them after the COVID-boom died down. In many instances, though, the original pandemic pet is the one left at the pound. “A lot of people were working from home during the pandemic when they got ani- mals,” Sobel told Westword in May. “When they had to go back to work [in person], dogs started having behavioral problems because they weren’t properly socialized, they weren’t properly trained. We had sur- renders because people didn’t want the ani- mal anymore, we had an infl ux of adolescent young adult dogs.” But the surrenders haven’t slowed with the pandemic nearly fi ve years in the rear- view. According to McMorrow, recent sur- renders are largely a result of veterinary care being too expensive. Colorado and the nation at large have suffered from a shortage of veterinarians in recent years, aggravating the lack of access to spay and neuter care. Beyond that, the shortage means all vet care is harder to access and more expensive, fi nancially straining pet owners during an already increasingly challenging economic climate. “By and large, the average person wants to do right by their pet,” McMorrow says. “When they haven’t fed them enough or they haven’t addressed a medical concern, more often than not, it’s not malicious. It’s just a lack of resources. The relinquishments that we’re seeing, a lot of that can be tied to the increased price of veterinary care.” The Denver Animal Shel- ter is particularly impacted by this because it is the only open-admission shelter in the area, McMorrow says. That means they take every animal that comes to their door, while other shelters may turn away, waitlist or charge fees for own- ers surrendering animals. Some owners give up sick pets to the shelter to receive veterinary care, or to be eu- thanized if their condition is beyond treatment. DAP is working to intervene in these tragic situations before owners get to the point of sur- rendering their pets. Keeping Pets With Their People DAP offers many programs intended to help support pet owners who are struggling. Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, the shelter hosts low-cost community vac- cine clinics for local pet owners. It also connects with residents to provide free spay/neuter services, which come with vac- cines, microchipping and routine veterinary checks for cats and dogs. Such services can typically cost $500 to $1,000 or more, Mc- Morrow says. “When we are able to connect people with that and let them know that it’s free, that can be something that really changes the decision about relinquishment,” McMorrow says. “If we’re able to support people, they’re less likely to relinquish in the fi rst place.” This year, the shelter held a special donor- funded Pay to Spay program, during which it spayed and neutered 120 pit bulls and gave each owner a $100 grocery gift card to incentivize participation. During its normal public spay/neuter program, it treated 260 dogs and cats. DAP also expanded its pet food pantry this year, giving free pet food and cat litter to those in need. The effort is community- driven, McMorrow says, with the supplies donated by local residents. When owners come in to get the free food, employees can also help connect them with internal programs or partner clinics for free or low- cost veterinary care, dentistry and even grooming. In particularly dire circumstances, DAP offers a temporary housing program, which provides free pet care for owners experi- encing crises like hospitalization, domestic violence or a house fi re. “I’m really happy to say that despite our overpopulation, those efforts have been incredibly successful and will continue to be rolled out and offered to the larger Denver community,” McMorrow says. “Obviously, nobody makes the decision [to surrender a pet] lightly,” he adds. “We are here for you if that’s a decision that you need to make. That being said, an animal shelter is not a long-term place for a pet to stay. ...If there’s anything that we can do that would make you reconsider that decision, we’re more than happy to be part of that conversation and to support you.” Email the author at hannah.metzger@westword. com. Dodge, a shelter dog, pictured inside the Denver Animal Protection offi ce in January. Former Aurora Councilman Steve Sundberg and other conservatives were voted out in favor progressives. DENVER ANIMAL SHELTER BENNITO L. KELT Y
