Finding a loose dog in Denver now comes with homework. Denver Animal Protection is asking neighbors who spot dogs on the run to safely catch them and bring them in when possible, since officers are not always available to respond. With shelter and field teams stretched thin as abuse, bite, and surrender cases climb across the city, staff say community volunteers and calm, cautious residents are often the first, and sometimes only, line of help for strays.
The numbers back up the plea. After reviewing calls and shelter figures from 2021 to 2025, the city found a jump in cruelty and neglect reports. There were roughly 1,000 more stray-dog reports in 2025 than in 2021, and officials say the number of dogs surrendered has more than doubled over five years, as reported by Denverite.
All of that is landing on a shrunken staff. Denver Animal Protection currently has 11 animal-protection officers covering 24/7 operations, along with several vacant positions, and the city recently eliminated two officer roles. “These more complex calls can take longer to investigate, and so the bandwidth to respond to stray animals can be impacted based on capacity,” Department of Public Health and Environment spokesperson Ryann Money told Denverite. The staffing crunch is tied to a broader fiscal gap, and layoffs in city government, and the cuts used to close that shortfall were covered by Denver7.
How to help a stray
If you find a loose dog and it is safe to approach, start with Denver Animal Protection’s officer dispatch at 720-913-2080 and follow the shelter’s lost-and-found guidance. Take a clear photo of the animal, check for tags or a microchip, and, if you can safely do so, take the dog to the Denver Animal Shelter or a local veterinarian. For step-by-step instructions and contact details, see the city’s lost-pets page on the City and County of Denver site.
Prevention and outreach
The city says it is also trying to keep pets from entering the system in the first place. That includes programs that offer temporary pet supplies and referral services that connect people with low-cost care. “We have Community Navigators that will work with clients to support their pets,” the shelter’s displacement-and-eviction guidance notes, and residents in housing crises can be referred to outreach teams that provide free food, leashes, and case management, according to the City of Denver.
What it means for neighborhoods
For neighbors, the new reality is a kind of civic choreography: stay safe, try to contain or at least photograph a found animal, and call dispatch so the shelter has a record. The pressure shows up in long waits at the shelter, more owner surrenders, and more animals cycling through agencies. Officials say those trends are best eased by community fosters, volunteers, and support for low-cost veterinary care. For anyone who wants to step in, the shelter’s volunteer, foster, and donation pages are a direct way to make space for animals the system cannot fully absorb right now.
