Cheyenne Animal Shelter Closes Over Employee COVID-19 Exposure

The Cheyenne Animal Shelter will be closed until at least April 4 after a shelter employee was exposed to someone with COVID-19.

Interim CAS CEO Sue Casteneda says that while the employee has not shown any symptoms of the illness, in the best interest of both public and employee safety, the facility will close down for now.

The shelter posted a statement on its Facebook page which included the following:

''Thus far, we have followed the lead of other well-regarded shelters in the animal welfare industry by curtailing intakes and adoptions by appointment only," Castaneda said. "However, with an exposure this close to home, we feel the need to protect not only the staff, but the public as well. We implore pet owners to please connect with us by phone and have a conversation with us about the available options regarding the outcome of a pet in need."

During this self-imposed period of closure, only essential staff will be attending to the animals to provide daily care, medication and enrichment. The Cheyenne Animal Shelter has implemented the following:

Animal Control is available by calling 307-635-1453. Please make sure that your pet's collars and tags and microchips are up to date. Officers will do all they can to return animals directly to owners.

If you have lost or found a pet, please connect with the "Cheyenne Animal Shelter After Hours Lost and Found Hotline at 307-214-4779 or on their Facebook page by the same name.

Those who ABSOLUTELY need to surrender an animal should leave a message at 307-632-6655 and an employee working remotely will respond within the day to determine the best course of action. Please do not attempt to surrender your animal without calling first as an employee may not be available to assist.

To help get more animals out of the shelter, volunteers who are willing to foster the animals currently in our care are asked to contact Bri Mathewson at bmathewson@caswy.org.