Eagles Players Visit and Lend a Hand in Support of Larimer Humane Society
Dec 19, 2022
By Nicole Pennetta
On Tuesday, December 13, Eagles players Ryan Wagner, Mitchell Vande Sompel, Spencer Smallman and Ben Tardif took a trip to the Larimer Humane Society to tour the facility, lend a helping hand in making enrichment KONG toys and visit with some furry friends. For the last five years, the Colorado Eagles have donated a portion of ticket sales from their annual Pucks & Paws game to the Larimer Humane Society.
The Larimer Humane Society is “an independent, non-profit animal shelter working to further the compassionate, safe, and responsible relationship between animals and people”. They are an open admission facility that takes in animals of all species and all medical statuses. Whether the animal is young or old, healthy or sick, they make it their mission to “ensure every unwanted or homeless pet has a safe place to go for shelter and care”.
Due to their “open admissions” policy, the shelter relies heavily on volunteers. They have over 300 volunteers that come in weekly to help out the staff on all levels. They also have around 100 foster families that take animals into their homes and care for them to free up space in the shelter as well as provide the animals with the love they deserve before finding their forever homes. There is no question about the organization's commitment to finding their animals homes, as they even have behavioral specialists come in to work with the animals who have poor habits and behaviors that are often seen as undesirable to improve their chances of finding a home.
During their visit, the players got an up-close look at how the facility adapts to new animals that come in every day, how the staff keeps the facility clean to keep their animals healthy and what goes into finding homes for each and every animal. The four players and their loved ones also lent a helping hand in making enrichment KONG toys for some of the dogs at the shelter and had a play date with a fun-loving boxer named Big Mac!
This organization has a special place in the Colorado Eagles’ hearts but especially for forward, Ryan Wagner who has three dogs of his own at home! Ryan has a Boston Terrier named Scooter, a Chow Chow named Coby and a Chow Chow, German Sheppard mix named Simba. “(I) love dogs, love animals. It was a cool experience just to see how everything was here.” Wagner stated after being asked about his experience at the shelter.
The Colorado Eagles' annual Pucks & Paws game was held on Saturday, December 17th. A portion of all ticket sales benefitted the Larimer Humane Society. Check out this video to see highlights from the visit!
To donate or learn more about the Larimer Humane society, visit their website at larimerhumane.org
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Nicole Pennetta is in her 1st full-season as the Digital Media Manager for the Colorado Eagles. In this role, she oversees the team’s social media, website, photography, newsletter and overall online presence.
