Longmont, Colorado, is a city of 86,000 people located north of Denver in Boulder and Weld counties. The Longmont Humane Society (LHS) serves as the municipal shelter for strays who are taken in by Longmont Animal Control or found within the city limits of several nearby towns, including Frederick (population 9000).
LHS split off from the Humane Society of Boulder Valley (HSBV) several years ago. According to a representative of HSBV, Boulder County Animal Control takes strays to Longmont that are picked up in the unincorporated area of the county near Longmont, whereas the rest of the strays in the county go to HSBV. According to the representative, Longmont and HSBV both receive strays from the nearby town of Erie (population 6000).
LHS accepts owner surrenders from its service area during business hours, with no restrictions other than a small fee. It also accepts owner surrenders from outside its service area, including out of state, if space is available.
LHS reported live release rates of 82% in 2010 and 89% in 2011 (calculated by comparing euthanasias to total intake). In December of 2011 the shelter announced the appointment of Liz Smokowski as executive director. Ms. Smokowski has a master’s degree in business administration. In the shelter’s latest annual report, it stated that in 2012, Smokowski’s first full year as director, the shelter increased its live release rate to 94% and decreased its cost per animal by 10%, with an intake of 3901 animals. The report states that over 850 active volunteers supplied 60,895 hours of service in 2012. LHS also submitted a report on 2012 statistics to the state of Colorado, and this report shows a 94% live release rate as well.