Douglas County Canine Rescue faces nine charges, could lose license

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — A Douglas County dog rescue could lose its license to operate.

The Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act Program (PACFA), which is part of the Colorado Department of Agriculture, filed charges on Dec. 21 with the Office of Administrative Courts, alleging Douglas County Canine Rescue, a nonprofit organization registered in Castle Rock, failed to provide timely veterinary care to dogs, falsified records and operated without a proper license.

Rebecca Waldrop is the owner and operator of the Douglas County Canine Rescue, which, according to its website, has rescued more than 10,000 dogs since 2014.

According to the court documents, the investigation was sparked by a complaint from a foster volunteer.

State is charging Douglas County dog rescue with failing to care for animals and more

On Aug. 25, the rescue provided PACFA with a foster home inspection record that stated an inspection was completed on March 6. No inspection was completed, according to the court documents.

On or about Aug. 14, records showed inspectors tried to enter the home of another foster volunteer. Court documents alleged that the volunteer had approximately 31 dogs in her home.

The court documents also claimed several of the dogs did not receive proper veterinary care until days after injuries. A 10-week-old puppy allegedly broke his leg on Aug. 6, 2023 and did not receive veterinary care until Aug. 16.

After receiving a complaint that Waldrop was unlawfully housing 20 to 30 dogs in her basement, inspectors executed a search warrant the next day and found 23 dogs, according to the documents.

Waldrop is not licensed to operate a pet animal shelter or any other pet animal care facility out of her home.

She has a notice to appear in the Office of Administrative Courts on Feb. 13. PACFA is seeking $1,000 per violation.

Denver7 reached out to Waldrop’s attorney for comment, but so far have not heard back.