Duty would go to animal shelter if three-year contract is approved in June.

As the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region is currently operating the Pueblo shelter on a temporary contract and providing limited services at this time, the organization is not picking up dead animals found around the city.

For the past month, that duty has fallen on the city's public works street maintenance division, Mayor Nick Gradisar said.

"That's not a good situation," he said.

Picking up dead animals is a service the Pikes Peak group provided to Pueblo when it had previously operated the shelter under a full-time contract before the city and county decided to give the animal services contract to PAWS for Life at the end of last year, said Jan McHugh-Smith, CEO of HSPPR.

That service was not part of the temporary contract HSPPR reached with the city and county in early April, when the contract for animal services was PAWS for Life was terminated after the operator was caught up in weeks of turmoil that included a state investigation, the loss of its operational losses and a staff shakeup.

HSPPR is providing cremation service for dead animals brought in, however, McHugh-Smith said.

The work has been more than what was expected and removes time for public works employees to fulfill regular duties, said Sam Vigil, the department's director.

"We were tasked with the deceased animals in the streets that are in the public right of way, and so that has been keeping us busy," Vigil said. "And, we are shorthanded anyway; so we have to prioritize this as they crop up and get reported."

Vigil said streets employees received some safety instruction on how to deal with dead animals.

Once they are picked up from the street by city employees, the carcasses are taken to the shelter.

City Council President Dennis Flores said that initially even before streets crews began picking up dead animals, the Pueblo County sheriff's office and Pueblo Police Department also were assisting. He said the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment becomes involved with dead animals that are suspected to have a disease.

The city, county and HSPPR officials are working on a long-term contract for the Pikes Peak group to operate the shelter, and the pickup of dead animals likely would be included again.

City and county officials met on Friday to negotiate on the contract. Flores said the meeting was productive, and a three-year contract with HSPPR could be in place by June 1.

A final contract would be presented to the City Council and Pueblo County commissioners.

rseverance@chieftain.com

Twitter: @RyanS_Chieftain