80 dogs removed from unlicensed Colorado sanctuary
Eighty large northern-breed dogs were removed from a property outside Lyons this week, two days after a judge signed a permanent injunction when the landowner failed to show up at a court hearing.
Vehicles and personnel from a dozen animal welfare organizations drove away with the mostly large northern-breed dogs (predominantly huskies and husky mixes) from Just 4 Jacks Ranch and Sanctuary. The 78 dogs taken Thursday were sent as far away as Cheyenne. One dog escaped its leash during transfer from the property to a vehicle and is still unaccounted for.
The last two dogs were unapproachable Thursday, according to a spokesman from the NoCo Humane Society, one of the responding agencies. Both of those dogs were caught Friday when staffers returned.
A spokesperson with the Colorado Department of Agriculture said one dog was euthanized prior to the authorities' arrival by the sanctuary owner, Drew Renkewitz.
Reached by phone Friday, Renkewitz, 59, said he was in a courtroom trying to get his dogs back.
Tuesday, a permanent injunction was ordered against Renkewitz by a district court judge in Fort Collins (the Just 4 Jacks Ranch at 1740 Spring Gulch Drive is located in Larimer County northwest of Lyons). The order details how Renkewitz was first contacted a year ago by a representative of the Department of Agriculture's Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act (PACFA) Program when 56 dogs were found on the ranch property. The rep at that time "advised Defendant Renkewitz that he could not harbor, house, or shelter more than fifteen (15) dogs in his home without a PACFA license."
Renkewitz applied for a license in March, but the court document indicates Renkewitz's property failed subsequent PACFA inspections on April 4, 2023, June 20, 2023, August 1, 2023, and October 16, 2023.
The license was officially denied in late October, and a cease-and-desist order was made. An administrative search warrant was obtained by state authorities in December. They counted 82 dogs on the property.
A permanent injunction was initially ordered to take effect the last day of January 2024, the court document states. However, Renkewitz requested a status conference for Jan. 30. That is the hearing which is reportedly failed to appear. "The Court paused the proceedings for 45 minutes to await (Renkewitz's) arrival," as stated in the document, before granting the state's motion for permanent injunction.
Olga Robak of the Colorado Department of Agriculture told CBS News Colorado that Renkewitz claimed to have plans to move out of state but continued to operate the unlicensed facility despite court order.
Nick Fisher, the PACFA Program Section Chief, stated in a press release that state and county authorities prepared all month for Renkewitz's eviction. "While this was a challenging situation, the dogs have been taken in by animal welfare experts and will be examined and treated by veterinarians and hopefully they will be ready for adoption in the near future," Fisher said.
All the dogs were "all relatively healthy and in good behaviors" at the time of transport from the property, Scott Wendelberger of NoCo Humane Society told CBS News Colorado.
Just 4 Jacks Ranch and Sanctuary is registered as a non-profit organization with the Internal Revenue Service.
The ranch benefitted from a concert fundraiser in Lyons last July, per an article in the Longmont Times-Call. Renkewitz, according to that article, named the ranch after his four Jack Russell terriers when he arrived from New York in 2020. He started the sanctuary to care for dogs in need and keep them from being surrendered to high-kill shelters, as stated in the article.
"We recognize that this is a challenging and devastating situation for all involved," stated Judy Calhoun, CEO of NOCO Humane, in a press release. "We are happy to report that the dogs appear to be both healthy and well-socialized with other dogs and people. Hopefully, this means that they won't need to spend too much time in an unfamiliar shelter environment, especially since these dogs are accustomed to living outdoors. We anticipate that these dogs will be excellent adoption candidates, and we look forward to finding each of them a home.
"I'm sure these dogs are going to bring a lot of smiles to the faces of their new families."
The other animal welfare organizations involved in transporting and housing the seized dogs: Animal Friends Alliance, the Cheyenne Animal Shelter, the Dumb Friends League, Foothills Animal Shelter, the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, the Humane Society of the Pike Peak Region, Mattersville, Maxfund, National Mill Dog Rescue, NoCo Humane, and Riverdale Animal Shelter.
