Denkai Animal Sanctuary Opens in Durango

Den Kai Animal Shelter has settled into its new home in Durango after serving Montezuma County for the past seven years. You're watching the local news network brought to you by Craig Ace Hardware and Happy Pappy's pizza and Wings. I'm Connor Shreve. Denki founder Floss Blackburn says the move completes her long term vision for the shelter.

I brought the organization down here about seven years ago, the goal was to be we wanted to be in Durango and La Plata County, but couldn't afford it.

at the time, we liquidated what was up north and then paid, you know, paid cash for our facility in Montezuma County. but couldn't do that over here because it's just much more expensive. So I worked for seven years over there in order to make the leap over here to Durango.

She hopes the move helps the sanctuary better serve the region.

we fought in Montezuma County for seven years to try to get a vet in more consistently than once or twice a month, and that area cannot attractive it now.

And it is it was it was so hard and impossible. So we decided to adapt and shift, and come over here and we want to work on some funding that will allow us to help transport people's animals here for clinic days, if they are not able to do that from that area

Sanctuary helps animals in crisis through rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming. Between its facility and Hesperus, a volunteer fosters Dan Kai has eight horses, three pigs and 30 dogs in its care.

So we do equine, farm animal and then pet animal. mainly dogs. We do some cats as well with, with where we help. Just depending on what, you know, what the need is.

The new clinic space is far from a completed project, and Blackburn hopes to add services through the summer.

we don't yet have a full time vet. we have one that will come in part time so we can see, appointments, basic stuff, and then we will be doing surgeries, spay neuter surgeries, stuff like that to help people. but for now, what we're trying to do is combine that vet clinic piece with an adoption center.

The shelter also will incorporate a donation based retail program. Follow the shelter online for information on adoption events and spay and neuter clinics. Find more info about this and other stories at Durango Local News. Thanks for watching this edition of the local news network. I'm Connor Shreve.