Animal rescue calls out Clovis

A Denver-area animal rescue group is targeting Clovis’ animal shelter as a place where there is a “devastating illness problem” and needs to take steps to prevent more problems in the future.

Do Over Dogs alleges on its Facebook page it rescued five dogs from the Clovis shelter that were sick with parvo and in danger of spreading the deadly disease to other animals.

“CITY OF CLOVIS! GET YOUR (expletive) TOGETHER!” the rescue group posted on Jan. 23.

“(P)uppies have tested positive for parvo and are in danger of dying. … We simply don’t have anymore funds to help. The shelter could’ve chosen to shut down for 2 weeks -- like other shelters -- … but instead they continue to operate, spread preventable diseases, not vaccinate upon intake, and ignore that there is a DEVASTATING illness problem.”

The rescue group alleged five dogs with parvo were rescued from the Clovis shelter on Jan. 23; one has died, but the other four appear to be recovering after receiving treatment from a Hereford, Texas, veterinarian.

Clovis shelter officials confirmed a rescue group picked up some puppies that were exhibiting signs of parvo, a contagious virus that affects dogs’ gastrointestinal tracts and is spread by direct dog-to-dog contact and contact with contaminated feces.

Trevor Thron, deputy chief of the Clovis Police Department, which oversees the animal shelter, said the dogs would have been euthanized if the rescue group had not taken them.

Thron, in an email to The News, wrote that animal control personnel took steps to decontaminate the pen the puppies were in, and moved dogs that were located near that pen to different areas in the shelter during the decontamination process.

“We never know what diseases or viruses animals have when we pick them up,” he wrote. “We always try our best to watch for signs of diseases, so we don’t potentially spread them to other animals in our facility.”

Lindsey Rubens, assistant executive director of Do Over Dogs, said her group has been rescuing dogs from the Clovis shelter since 2015 and recently learned of the parvo problems, which she said are preventable.

“Clovis shelter needs to vaccinate upon intake,” she said. “The city needs to allocate funds for the Clovis shelter to be able to maintain this.”

Rubens said the shelter needs a quarantine building so it can better avoid contamination. She said the shelter should have been shut down for one to two weeks for proper disinfection.

“The city needs to allocate funds for basic medical care and then the shelter staff needs to be willing to provide it,” Rubens said.

But in an email to The News, Rubens also alleged that veterinarian resources in the Clovis area are “slim to none.”

“Spay and neuter [costs are] astronomical. Affordable spay and neuter is desperately needed in this area.”

Thron agreed the parvo outbreak is a wakeup call to pet owners.

“We would like to take this opportunity to remind the public how important it is to get your animals vaccinated, along with having them spayed and neutered,” he said.

Thron said there is a proposal that will be going before the Clovis city commission on Thursday for the High Plains Humane Society to vaccinate all animals that are brought into the shelter.

“I believe the details of this proposal are still being worked out, but we are hoping this will help benefit the animals and our community,” Thron wrote.