History

Welcome to the Cheyenne Animal Shelter! Founded more than 50 years ago, CAS has been proudly serving Cheyenne and Laramie County as the largest community- centered animal shelter and resource center in the state of Wyoming. For the last half century we have made it our work to ensure that every homeless or displaced pet has a safe place to go for housing, care, and second chances. Knowing too that attached to each one of those animals is a person, we view ourselves as part of the local fabric of critical social services enhancing the dignity of people in our community.

Together, we are working to help pets and people get access to the resources they need in order to preserve the human-animal bond which, as we all know, is one of the greatest gifts life has to offer.

Our Roots

From our humble beginnings in a garage in downtown Cheyenne, to our first shelter in a cinder block building off Happy Jack Road, to the expansive and stunning facility we now occupy, our journey has been one of long-term partnership with the local community. The Shelter now sits on more than 9 acres of land, with the 21,000 square foot building providing housing and care for thousands of animals every year. When it was first built twenty years ago, it was ahead of its time and served as a model institution for the rise of modern animal shelters. The building has a full service veterinary clinic  and quarantine facilities and housing capabilities for a variety of species (we see a lot more than just dogs and cats)! Attractive public spaces are designed to showcase adoptable pets in a pleasing way, creating an inviting environment for the animals and would-be adopters.

While the Cheyenne Animal Shelter as an institution is a private, nonprofit charitable organization - its history of partnering with the local community runs deep. The current facility, along with its well-tended grounds and public amenities (check out information about the Nancy Mockley Dog Park and Ellie’s Memorial Garden here) was mostly funded through a 6th-penny tax ballot in the early 2000s. Since that time, the Shelter has sustained through a combination of fees for service, private contributions, and investments and major donations managed by the Cheyenne Animal Shelter Foundation (link).  

Public Partnerships

Shortly after its founding, the Shelter entered into a contract to provide care and outcomes for animals impounded under local ordinances -  in effect, providing services that those local governments are responsible for executing per local law. These services are supported in part through a sizable annual contract paid by those local governments with support from private contributors to the Shelter. By the mid-90s, the Shelter’s contracted services expanded to include the oversight of deputized animal control officers, responsible for enforcement of those state and local statutes offering protections for people and animals. In 2021, however, the City again assumed control of animal control operations and once again a new contract was negotiated. At this time, the Cheyenne Animal Shelter continues to provide for care and housing of animals impounded by animal control but is no longer serving as the agency responsible for investigating animal-related problems or crimes, issuing citations, or pursuing legal  courses of action. Our partnership with the local government remains amicable and critically important to both our mission and our ethic of community service.

People. Pets. Community.

In addition to housing impounded animals, those who escape their homes, pose a potential threat to the community, or who have suffered from abuse, abandonment, or neglect, the Shelter also offers a variety of programs and services for people, pets, and the community. From adoptions to foster, volunteer, and community service programs there are an infinite number of ways for people to connect with the animals who need them most. And when it comes to helping the people themselves, our behavior hotline, rehoming assistance, pet food and supply program, and low-cost vaccine and spay day clinics serve to bridge some of the gap in services that so many of our friends and neighbors face. 

As one of the largest nonprofit employers in the County, the Shelter also offers full-time jobs to over 30 individuals, with competitive pay and benefits. We are on a quest to establish the Shelter as a local best place to work, honoring the whole person in our employees with personal training and skills development, advancement opportunities, and ways to connect deeply to this place we all call home. 

The Shelter’s annual budget hovers around 2.3 million dollars (see our reporting page for more insight into our funding needs).  The majority of our annual revenue comes from the generous and freely-given support of our community. More than 80% of the philanthropic contributions that compose our annual fundraising campaign comes from individual donors, with gifts averaging just $125. Under new leadership in 2021, the Shelter has developed a new, more robust donor management system and fundraising strategy. With the continued help of individuals and corporate partners, we are optimistic about our future and are paving the way to a new, more exciting, more engaging animal shelter. Our vision is to become a leading organization in the region, one which serves as a shared point of pride, working to create a better community for us all. 

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