Animal Shelter
Originally called the Upper San Juan Humane Society, the Humane Society of Pagosa Springs (name change made in 1999) had a modest beginning in 1984 with the donation of a gold Krugerrand. The donor’s daughter, Debra Rinker Brown, raffled the coin to start a construction fund for an animal shelter. Shortly after that, songwriter and musician, Dan Fogelberg, volunteered to perform a concert and donate the proceeds to the project. The concert raised about $20,000, which enabled the construction of the original animal shelter. Town, county, and local contractors cooperated to build the shelter between 1984-86, thanks to the organizational skills of Ms. Brown.
Since the organization was founded back in 1984, there has been significant growth in Pagosa Springs. By 2000, it become obvious that the original shelter would no longer suit the needs of the growing number of animals in our community. The site at Steven’s Lake was deemed unexpandable due to water pressure and septic system overload, so the Humane Society Board of Directors located suitable land for a new shelter facility – 11 acres adjacent to an industrial park – located at 465 Cloman Boulevard. And two donors made donations to help HSPS purchase the land.
A few years later, architectural design was complete and the Homeward Bound Capital Campaign was launched in 2007 for the construction of the new shelter. On April 12, 2007, ground was officially broken to begin the construction, and the building was ready for occupancy on November 28, 2007.
Today, the Humane Society of Pagosa Springs provides shelter to more than 700 animals annually. As we continue to see the population explode in Archuleta County, we’re having to look at the possibility of expanding the shelter so we can continue to carry on our long history of serving both animals and citizens in many new and exciting ways.
Thrift Store
Since opening its doors in 1994, the Humane Society Thrift Store is in its third location due to growth in donations and business. The first store was named The Pack Rack Thrift Store and opened in November 1994 on Lewis Street. Within six months the store was flooded with donations, and more space was needed. In the spring of 1995, the store moved to a larger facility on South 6th Street, where it remained for the next five years.
The store’s business continued to expand with more employees hired and even antiques being sold online. In order to support the plan for building a new animal shelter, the Board of Directors realized that they needed to secure the thrift store’s future with the purchase of a building instead of being housed in leased space and at a landlord’s mercy. The decision was made to purchase the old Baptist church property on Pagosa Avenue in downtown Pagosa Springs and convert it to the permanent home of the thrift store.
After much work with walls being knocked down and extensive repairs made, the grand opening of the Thrift Store at 279 Pagosa Street was held on June 3, 2000. Shortly thereafter, the name of the thrift store changed from The Pack Rack Thrift Store to The Humane Society Thrift Store.