TCRAS New Facility Equipped with Agility Course for Dogs
Trevor Phipps
Normally, the elusive Moose only shows his large antlers in Woodland Park once a year during the annual Moose Is Loose event every February.
However, this year the grandiose moose made a special appearance this summer to spend some time with his local canine buddies.
Even though the dogs present at the surprise visit instantly went into protective mode and started barking when they first spotted the moose, the mammals eventually all warmed up to each other. The moose made his way to the new Teller County Regional Animal Shelter (TCRAS) CARE House in Woodland Park to give the animals in the community a special gift.
The Moose Is Loose event has recently morphed into a non-profit that finds ways to give back to the community. The group’s most recent way to give back was to provide a gift to the local animal shelter in the form of agility equipment.
The animals who currently call the TCRAS shelter in Divide home now have a place where they can go spend a day to work on improving their agility skills. TCRAS also plans to open the course up to the public so that members of the community can utilize the course to help train their own dogs.
Now that TCRAS recently purchased their second building at the former location of Adult Daybreak on N. Hwy. 67 in Woodland Park, the organization has more space to add to what they provide to the Teller region.
“One of our goals when we bought the facility was to not only enrich the lives of the animals here at the shelter, but open our doors to the community in a way that we can provide classes and training for the animals our community,” TCRAS Marketing Coordinator Kathleen Ruyak said. “The Moose Is Loose was kind enough to buy supplies for us and donate them to help us support the community. It was a way for non-profits to help non-profits and community to help community.”
The agility course consists of tunnels for dogs to crawl through, hurdles for them to jump over, a balancing beam, and even a teeter totter. Dogs at the shelter get to trade off taking field trips to the course to help them train and improve their agility skills.
According to Ruyak, agility courses like the one TCRAS now has can provide many benefits to animals whether they are pets of the community or residents of the shelter. “Training and physical exercise, both the mental stimulation and the physical stimulation, are great for dogs in general,” Ruyak explained. “But for shelter animals, it’s really important to keep them going and happy and healthy. So, with the agility equipment, we are hoping that we can use it for shelter animals for that training and mental stimulation and also provide a resource for the community for training for their animals.”
The organization has already started offering public classes at the agility course, which has featured a good turnout. More courses will be offered this fall and next summer TCRAS plans to have a bigger lineup of classes and training sessions available.
New TCRAS Facility Offers Group Much Needed Space
At the start of 2024, TCRAS announced the opening of their new CARE facility, enabling the organization to grow and better fulfill its needs. Ruyak said that no animals will be housed at the facility on a long-term basis, but it allows them to have a break from the shelter every now and then.
“It was an opportunity for the shelter to grow and breathe,” the TCRAS marketing coordinator said. “We have admin space down here with offices for staff. It also gives us a place to let the animals get out of the shelter and do training and enrichment and let them take a deep breath because it is much quieter down here.”
Since the building has been open, the agility course was added along with a special place for cats. The most recent addition to the CARE house is a new “Cat-io.”
With the help of some volunteers, the newly built structure is a patio for cats where they can hang out and enjoy some fresh air. The cats can access their new area from an office window inside the building when they want to check out the outdoors.
With their recent growth, TCRAS is always looking for volunteers and donations to help them further their mission. The shelter is looking for volunteers that are willing to spend a day on the agility course helping train shelter dogs.
TCRAS is also currently looking for donations of items to help them care for their resident animals. Supplies needed by the shelter include puppy canned food, bleach and dog treats.
The organization is currently working on their big annual fundraiser of the year, the 2024 Wild Whiskers 70s Costume Pawty that takes place on September 28 at the Ute Pass Cultural Center from 5 to 9 p.m. The event will feature live music from Cari Dell, food catered by Wines of Colorado, a silent auction and a raffle. Tickets can be purchased online at TCRASColorado.org.
