Krickett, a tiny white Chihuahua, was shivering and cowering in the back of a shiny new cage, seemingly dreading her impending operation.
Henri, a toy poodle in the cage next to her, was whimpering and jumping around expectantly.
They were to be the first of thousands of dogs and cats across Colorado that will be spayed or neutered in a new mobile animal clinic in the coming years.
The custom-made, $250,000 vehicle, donated by Dumb Friends League board members Jana and Fred Bartlit, is named the Lulu Mobile after the couple’s Brussels griffon.
The Bartlits also are subsidizing the operations, at a cost of $1 million, Dumb Friends League president Bob Rhode said today.
The traveling animal clinic will stop in towns less likely to have the service.
Veterinarian David Robinson and an assistant will staff the Lulu Mobile, performing up to 2,000 operations a year. That will reduce the number of pets significantly, considering that dogs have an average of six puppies per litter and cats have four, Robinson said.
The unit — which includes a small operating table — will serve as many as 20 animals a day, but not cats and dogs at the same time, said Linda Houlihan, Dumb Friends League spokeswoman.
Rhode said 173,000 animals are taken to Colorado shelters every year.
Fred Bartlit said he and his wife felt confident that their money would be well spent by a shelter rated the best in the nation.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
