BRIGHTON — Animal-control officers and sheriff’s deputies in Adams County removed 75 dogs from a home near Strasburg on Thursday morning.
The dogs, mostly Irish, English and Gordon setters, were brought to the Adams County Animal Shelter in Brighton, where they underwent health evaluations and will be readied for adoption.
“Most of the dogs appear to be in pretty good health,” said Jim Siedlecki, a spokesman for Adams County.
As a result, the man who owned the dogs — 90 in all — probably won’t face criminal animal-cruelty charges, Siedlecki said. That man was identified late Thursday as Robert Attleson, who runs a Strasburg-based business called All Setter Rescue.
Attleson, who was allowed to keep 15 of his dogs, didn’t return a call and e-mail for comment. The All Setter Rescue website lists dozens of dogs for adoption.
“All Setter Rescue is sending out an urgent plea for foster homes along the Front Range, especially from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs,” the site reads. “Please help provide a temporary home for a setter until they can be successfully placed in their forever home.”
But Nick Fisher, program administrator for the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Pet Animal Care Facilities Act program, said Attleson’s facility — a 2,500-square-foot home about 10 miles north of Strasburg — didn’t meet the requirements for an animal-shelter license.
For nearly two years, the Department of Agriculture has been investigating Attleson’s operation, Fisher said. He was issued a cease-and-desist order in March 2014, but it was disregarded.
That prompted a series of restraining orders being issued on Attleson, leading up to Thursday’s court-ordered raid, Fisher said.
“You feel bad for the animals — if a breeder is selling these in a hoarding situation, then their health could be in jeopardy,” he said.
Fisher said Attleson was separating the dogs by behavior type and compatibility inside his house. Forty dogs lived in the kitchen. Most of the animals were free-roaming on the property and had access to the yard, Fisher said.
Keeping more than 15 dogs in Colorado, he said, requires the owner to obtain an animal-shelter license.
Siedlecki said there were no incidents during the removal process.
“He was cooperative with animal-control officers and sheriff’s deputies when they arrived shortly after 8:30 a.m.,” he said.
At the Adams County Animal Shelter on Thursday afternoon, rows of caged and barking setters were attended to by vets and walkers. Siedlecki said the dogs will start off in the Adams County facility before they are distributed to other sites, including shelters in Denver, Aurora, Boulder and Larimer County.
“This operation is another example of the spirit of regional cooperation between metro area shelters and state PACFA investigators,” said Adams County Animal Shelter director Stephanie Wilde. “After our standard evaluation, healthy and stable dogs will be available for adoption.”
The Adams County Animal Shelter can be reached at 303-288-3294.
John Aguilar: 303-954-1695, jaguilar@denverpost.com or @abuvthefold
