What is being requested for Thunder?
Denver Animal Protection should authorize Thunder's immediate transfer to a secure, PACFA-licensed Colorado sanctuary that has offered controlled lifetime care.
A humane alternative is ready
Thunder does not need to die.
Denver Animal Protection can transfer him to a secure, state-licensed sanctuary. The data, the expert assessment and the documented toll of prolonged confinement all support independent review - and a life-saving choice.
295 days in shelter confinement as of Aug. 9, 2026
A safe exit exists.Transfer, not continued confinement.
The case for scrutiny
DAP's judgment should not be treated as beyond question.
A 2025 analysis of Colorado's licensed shelter reports found that Denver ranked last among the state's ten highest-intake dog operations for live release. The burden fell overwhelmingly on adult dogs.
Those numbers do not decide Thunder's individual case. They do, however, make transparency, outside expertise and a safe transfer alternative especially important before DAP makes another irreversible decision.
The essential facts
Quick answers about Thunder's case
Direct answers to the central questions, with the evidence and source record available below.
Why is Denver Animal Protection's judgment being questioned?
Denver ranked last among Colorado's ten highest-intake dog operations for 2025 live release at 81.6%. Adult dogs had an 80.2% live-release rate, compared with 96.7% for juvenile dogs.
Is there a public-safety alternative to euthanasia?
Yes. Advocates report that a secure, state-licensed sanctuary has offered placement with controlled lifetime care and without returning Thunder to his former home.
How long has Thunder been confined at Denver's shelter?
Thunder entered Denver Animal Protection custody on October 18, 2025. As of August 9, 2026, he had spent 295 days - more than nine months - in shelter confinement.
What did the independent canine-aggression expert conclude?
The advocacy materials report that Dr. James Crosby found Thunder exhibited full bite inhibition and posed no greater public-safety risk than any other dog. His linked report should be reviewed directly.
Denver's reported 2025 outcomes
Adult dogs paid the price.
The uploaded analysis uses Colorado's annual shelter and rescue reports and counts only animals with a final outcome when calculating live-release rates.
of 899 total dog deaths, euthanasias or missing outcomes
Juvenile dogs accounted for just 14 of the 899 outcomes.
Euthanasia - not natural death - drove the result.
Live-release rate by age
Same shelter. Two very different outcomes.
An adult dog was roughly six times as likely as a juvenile dog to die, be euthanized or go missing.
Peer comparison
High volume does not explain the gap.
Denver was Colorado's third-largest dog intake operation, yet it ranked tenth of ten on live release. Seven peers cleared 90%.
1Humane Colorado - Buddy Center95.1%
2Foothills Animal Shelter95.1%
3NOCO Humane Larimer93.1%
4Riverdale Animal Shelter92.6%
5Humane Society of Boulder Valley92.1%
6NOCO Humane Weld92.0%
7Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region90.1%
8Pikes Peak Region - Pueblo85.0%
9Humane Colorado - Leslie A. Malone Center82.0%
10Denver Animal Protection81.6%
Source: 2025 Animal Shelter Dog Statistics. Transfers can create duplicate outcome events; the report cautions that rates describe reported events, not unique animals. This comparison uses each facility's reported final outcomes.
Thunder's individual case
Confinement is harming the dog it is supposed to protect.
A shelter kennel is not a neutral environment, especially over many months. Advocates cite DAP's veterinary records as documenting escalating sedation, an accidental double dose and eventual over-sedation concerns.
Oct. 18, 2025
Kennel confinement begins
Thunder enters Denver Animal Protection custody. As of Aug. 9, 2026, he has spent 295 days - more than nine months - in shelter confinement.
Nov. 5, 2025
Trazodone begins
Advocates' summary of DAP veterinary records says trazodone began at 200 mg twice daily, then increased to 200 mg three times daily and later 300 mg three times daily.
Jan. 2026
A second sedative is added
Acepromazine was added to Thunder's medication plan, according to the records summary supplied by advocates.
Feb. 5-13, 2026
Double dose, then discontinuation
The summary reports an accidental double dose on Feb. 5 and discontinuation on Feb. 13 because of over-sedation concerns.
July 8, 2026
The decision rests with DAP
According to the public advocacy account, the court relinquished stewardship to DAP. A secure sanctuary transfer remains available as an alternative to continued confinement or death.
Independent expert assessment
The advocacy materials report that canine-aggression expert Dr. James Crosby found Thunder exhibited “full bite inhibition” and posed no greater public-safety risk than any other dog.
Review the linked expert report directly. The public advocacy account also states that a jury acquitted the defense on all dangerous-dog counts and that five Colorado PACFA organizations offered placement.
Read Dr. Crosby's reportThe responsible decision
Transfer Thunder to a secure, licensed sanctuary.
Public safety and compassion are not opposites. A qualified, secure sanctuary can provide controlled lifetime care without returning Thunder to his former home or exposing the public to an unmanaged risk.
- A willing Colorado sanctuary has offered placement.
- The transfer can be made at no cost to the City.
- The sanctuary alternative avoids an irreversible killing.
- It ends prolonged shelter confinement and its documented toll.
Speak for Thunder
Ask Denver to choose the safe, humane alternative.
Be respectful, specific and firm: request that Denver Animal Protection immediately authorize Thunder's transfer to a secure, PACFA-licensed sanctuary.
Read the record
Sources and transparency
Outcome figures come from the uploaded 2025 analysis. Statements about Thunder's proceedings, sanctuary offers, veterinary timeline and expert conclusions are attributed to the linked advocacy materials and records summary supplied for this site.
012025 Animal Shelter Dog StatisticsColorado intake, outcomes, peer comparison and methodology02Expert report by Dr. James CrosbyBehavioral assessment linked by the Thunder advocacy campaign03Denver - Help Us Save ThunderCase history, sanctuary offer and July 2026 update04How Denver Animal Protection Is Failing PetsAdvocacy account and context surrounding Lightning and Thunder
A note on interpretation: Shelter-wide statistics do not prove how any one dog should be assessed. They are presented here because they bear on whether DAP's judgment should receive independent scrutiny before an irreversible outcome. Denver officials and DAP should make any contrary evidence public.