About Us

The Upper Rio Grande Animal Society is an all volunteer board which does business as the Conour Animal Shelter and the Conour Animal Crematory. We have a board of five to six members, and two to four paid employees. We welcome (and need!) volunteers and appreciate their help to serve the needs of the dogs!

The Conour Animal Shelter is a caring and compassionate shelter for dogs. We directly serve Rio Grande County, and we often receive dogs from Saguache County, Mineral County, Alamosa County, Conejos County, and Costilla County. All of these counties are located in the San Luis Valley, which is about the size of Connecticut extending 125 miles long and 65 miles wide. There are only two other shelters for dogs in the San Luis Valley, one in Alamosa and one in San Luis.

You've heard the phrase "everyone has a story", well it's the same for dogs too. Our dogs come from every corner of the San Luis Valley and they all have a story. Many of them were homeless, abandoned, abused, neglected, lost, or relinquished by their owners. While each dog's story may be different, they all just want an opportunity to love and be loved. On any given day, our shelter is home to more than 30 dogs waiting to meet you and find their forever home. Check out our Adoption and Fostering information!

The Conour Animal Crematory accepts a variety of animals. This is the only animal crematory in the San Luis Valley! Check out our Crematory page for more information.

The shelter and crematory require approximately $180,000 a year to operate. This includes wages, maintenance of facilities, and first and foremost serving all the needs of the dogs! We do receive about a third of these costs from our governmental supporters. Fees do bring in some funds but do not begin to cover costs. Therefore, we rely heavily on grants and donors like you! See our Get Involved page for more information!

Meet the Staff

Sue Hodges

Hi, I'm Sue, and I was born and raised in Monte Vista. I am married and have two handsome boys. Every dog has their special, unique personality. It is very satisfying to see people who come into adopt and interact with them. My wish is to have every dog in a forever home and none in shelters.

(Sue is pictured here with Wick)

Glen Hodges

I am a retired educator. My wife Sue and I have four dogs at home. We love dogs and working at the shelter allows us to love a lot more dogs.

(Glen is pictured with Mari)

Rich Deacon

Hi, I'm Rich, I've lived in Monte Vista my whole life. I'm married to Terri, my wife of 44 years and have raised two sons. We have 4 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

I am retired and enjoy my employment with Conour Animal Shelter. Having never worked in this type of environment, every day is a new and exciting adventure. We strive to make each and every dog feel welcomed and safe. The reward is when each one finds their fur ever home.

(Rich is pictured here with Shadow)

Brianna Sullivan

Brianna has been at Conour since March of 2025. More info coming soon!

(Brianna is pictured here with Betty Jo)

David Stone

I'm David Stone and I'm a San Luis Valley native, born and raised in the Del Norte-Center area. I grew up on my family's farm until my junior year of high school. My dad sold the farm and retired. I got a summer job during both my junior and senior years working for John Faron at the Center School District. Upon graduation, I worked construction for Bill North and worked there for two years. Then I went out on my own and started my own construction business. I have been married to my wife for 43 years, we have one child and two grandchildren. I worked 48 years in the construction industry. Thirteen years ago, I had a major medical event that left me unable to continue doing business and then had to work for other companies. My wife adopted a Beagle at that time named Fraser who turned out to be the best buddy. Last April, he died of cancer. We needed to have another dog and we went to Conour where we adopted a Blue Heeler named Rufus. It was there that I reconnected with Sue & Glen Hodges. I found out that they were looking for help and I applied to work at Conour. I have really enjoyed the six months that I have been working at Conour. Sue, Glen, Brianna, and Rich have been great to work with. I really like the way everyone has improved the shelter and keep it running.

(Dave is pictured here with Rufus)

Meet the Board

David Cleghorn, President

Brittany Harlan-Owsley, Vice-President

Jerene Wilkinson, Treasurer

Tracy Simon, Secretary

DeAnna Connolly, Social Media