11 puppies infected with rabies at Sheridan adoption event have to be euthanized

SHERIDAN, Colo. — A group of puppies who came into contact with a rabies-positive puppy at an adoption event in Sheridan last month have been told to surrender the dogs to be put down, leaving their owners heartbroken.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is contacting the puppy foster parents about surrendering the 11 puppies for animal euthanasia.

The move comes after a puppy adopted from Colorado Mums and Muts (MAMCO), a rescue for pregnant and nursing dogs, tested positive for the virus on Wednesday. The animal has since been euthanized.

Namco hosts an adoption event every Saturday, and a couple was preparing to welcome a puppy into their home. On July 20, Jessica Eden and Keith Brueck brought home the long-awaited puppy, Musubi. However, they soon learned that the puppy may have been infected with rabies.

“His name was originally Audio, then we changed it to Musubi. We actually wear Musubi shirts,” Eden said.

of CDPHE shared Friday One of the puppies at the adoption event tested positive for rabies.

“One of the tragedies of this situation is that puppies are not typically vaccinated against rabies until they are several months old, so these puppies were too young to be vaccinated at the time they came into contact with what appears to be an infected skunk,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy.

MAMCO Director Aron Jones spoke about the health and happiness of the puppies when they arrived from Texas.

“He didn't develop symptoms until much later, so it took a full nine days. I really think people need to understand how rabies is transmitted. It's through a bite or a cut or a scratch or something that gets into the blood. Unless a dog shows symptoms, it's not infectious,” Jones said.

CDPHE said it was following guidance from the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians. Because strict quarantine was not possible, all of the kittens had to be euthanized.

11 rabies-infected puppies euthanized at Sheridan adoption event, owners heartbroken

“What's really tragic about this situation is I feel for all the people who were attached to the puppies. I know the foster parents and the people who adopted them are very attached to them and that's obviously what's really difficult about this situation,” Dr Herlihy said.

Eden and Brueck described their frustration after thinking they could isolate the puppies.

“We actually spoke to an attorney at that point and negotiated whether we could shorten the time from facility to home, because normally you'd spend 90 days in the facility and 30 days at home,” Eden said.

Jones described the heartbreak the situation has caused staff, and said the shelter has a policy of requiring staff to wear gowns and gloves to protect the health of owners and their dogs.

“We're really trying to get the word out to the public that Colorado needs to be extra careful because the puppies could have been infected before they got to Texas, so they should be extra careful,” Jones said. “But an owner can't get rabies by being in the same room as a rabid animal. They have to actually pick it up and have the dog's saliva come into contact with the owner's mouth or nose or a cut. It's very unlikely that anyone could have really been infected from that incident.”

Eden and Brück expressed their gratitude to MAMCO for helping them through the unfortunate situation, but ultimately were left heartbroken when they had to say goodbye to their puppy.

“I believe we had this dog for a reason,” Eden said. “I believe God entrusted us with this dog because He knew we would fight to the death for him.”