Santa Fe Animal Shelter reports kennel cough outbreak, limits public access
Jan. 17—Santa Fe County Animal Control Services will be limiting access to its shelter because of an outbreak of canine infectious respiratory disease (CIRD), or kennel cough, Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Denise Womack Avila said.
Avila told the Journal she is not sure if the CIRD outbreak is related to a mysterious respiratory illness affecting dogs in California, Colorado and parts of the Midwest and East Coast.
"We were advised it was transmitted from a stray dog impound to the shelter," she said.
Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department shelter spokeswoman Desiree Cawley said CIRD has not been reported in the city.
For the next two weeks, Avila said, the Santa Fe Animal Shelter will operate on a restricted basis and suspend new animal impounds with the exception of emergency calls pertaining to: injured animals (the owner is not present), animal bites, protective custody cases , animals posing an immediate danger or threat to public safety and dead animals.
Trapped cats still can be brought into the animal shelter, Avila said.
Santa Fe County Animal Control Services also will respond to, but not impound, "nuisance" or non-emergency calls, such as barking dogs, welfare checks and animals unrestrained or running at large, she said.
"Canine infectious respiratory disease can spread rapidly among susceptible dogs housed in close confinement," Avila said. "For this reason, the Santa Fe Animal Shelter will quarantine for at least the required two-week period."
