Keep Our Pets Safe

Election Day is here! Ballots must be submitted or dropped off by 7 PM. This is your final chance to vote NO on Proposition 129 and protect the safety of Colorado’s pets. Make your voice heard!

Find an in-person voting location or drop box near you: www.coloradosos.gov/voter/pages/pub/home.xhtml

Only one day remains until the election is finalized. Proposition 129 is designed to mislead voters into creating a new, unnecessary job so colleges can profit, leaving students with massive debt and limited career prospects. Don’t be fooled! It’s why most Colorado vets would not hire a VPA. Vote NO on 129!

The American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) opposes Proposition 129. Vote no!

Did you see Proposition 129 on the ballot? This dangerous measure would let someone who is not a veterinarian and who has minimal hands-on training perform surgery on your pet. Surgeries, even routine ones, can have serious complications, and only a licensed veterinarian has the expertise to handle emergencies or unexpected issues. It is time to vote NO on 129!

The Independent Veterinary Practitioners Association (IVPA) opposes Proposition 129. Vote no!

Coloradans are being urged to vote NO on Proposition 129. This dangerous measure lowers veterinary care standards and puts animals at risk. The claim that it improves access to care is misleading. For instance, VPAs would lack the expertise, training and federal authority to ensure pets get the right medications. Proposition 129 jeopardizes animal safety. Vote NO!

The American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) opposes Proposition 129. Vote no!

Read AABP’s full statement opposing Proposition 129: www.aabp.org/resources/AABP_Position_Statements/AABPVetTech.pdf #

Colorado pets are counting on you to vote NO on Proposition 129. It claims that a Veterinary Professional Associate (VPA) is like a nurse practitioner, but that’s simply not true. Help keep Colorado’s pets safe!

Learn why 40 Colorado animal shelter veterinarians authored a powerful piece published by the Boulder Weekly opposing Proposition 129. This article dives into their concerns, from misleading comparisons to nurse practitioners and physician assistants to fears that Prop. 129 would actually hinder—rather than help—access to quality care. These experts urge better, safer solutions for our pets. Read why they’re urging Coloradoans to vote NO on Prop. 129.

Read the article: www.boulderweekly.com/opinion/prop-129-no-shelter-vets/

On behalf of all those opposing Proposition 129, we sincerely thank Dr. Allison Black, Staff Veterinarian at the Denver Dumb Friends League, for courageously stepping forward to publicly address this critical issue. During this week’s press conference, Dr. Black and three other licensed veterinarian panelists highlighted the dangerous risks this measure poses to pet safety and care standards across Colorado.

Read Dr. Black’s Remarks from the Press Conference:

My name is Allison Black, and I’m a staff veterinarian at the Dumb Friends League currently. Prior to that, I was at a municipal shelter in Central Texas for a few years. I'm highly concerned about Proposition 129 as well if it were to pass. My concern is deeply personal because I know who has pushed this proposition onto the ballot—the Denver Dumb Friends League—my own employer. I don’t come forward lightly, but I cannot stand by and let Colorado voters be misled by this irresponsible ballot measure. DDFL leadership has been advocating for the VPA position for years, with no success working with the state’s elected officials in the legislature.

[...]

Since joining DFL three years ago, I’ve been involved in multiple conversations about this proposal. From the beginning, staff veterinarians, including myself, were asked to provide professional input, but it is clear our serious concerns were never truly heard. Initial meetings were open to feedback, yet when objections and questions were raised, they were quickly rejected, and the discussions went nowhere. Subsequent meetings yielded no progress either. Nonetheless, without regard to our concerns and staunch opposition, DFL pushed ahead with this proposal, conveying a clear message.

‘This is happening, so get on board.’ It is not just the creation of this position that alarms me. It's the complete disregard for the risks this proposition poses if passed. As somebody who performs surgical procedures on animal patients and has undergone years of training and education to do so, as Dr. Bolser said, I know what is at stake, no surgery is zero risk. Under the current ambiguous language of Prop 129, VPAs would be performing surgeries they aren't properly trained for. That's a gamble we cannot afford to take with Colorado's pets.

A common argument in favor of this position is the comparison to a PA position or physician assistant position in human health care, but this is not an equivalent comparison. In fact, PAs are not legally allowed to perform independent surgeries as the human health care field acknowledges that surgery should be performed by qualified doctors with appropriate training. PAs assist doctors in surgery just as current registered vet techs are trained to assist veterinarians in surgery.

I hope that by coming forward and pulling back the curtain on the dangerous measure and the proponents behind it, voters will see Proposition 129 for what it truly is, a threat to quality veterinary care for pets and animals in Colorado. I urge my fellow veterinarians who have been intimidated into silence to join me in speaking out. The lives of the animals we care and all Colorado animals depend on it […].

“I'll tell you what, I have been speaking out about this since the very beginning. I have been the most vocal veterinarian or anybody at the Dumb Friends League, for the past two years against this, I've shown up to every meeting organized to get together to discuss this with our CEO, hoping that at the ground level I would be able to make a difference from the beginning. But like I said earlier, it didn't really matter.

I have been working with organizations to combat it from the sides and stuff, but kind of just feeling a little bit not able to express myself in the beginning; that my opinion maybe doesn't matter as much, or like I said, this is happening anyway. But I've been doing what I can at the risk of some retaliation, or lack of a better word, while trying to stay safe in my current position.

So yeah, I've been doing what I can with the position that I have.”

Denver Dumb Friends League Vet Opposes Proposition 129 During the Keep Our Pets Safe virtual press conference on October 29, 2024, Dr. Allison Black, staff veterinarian at the Denver Dumb Friends League, particip...

The American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC) opposes Proposition 129. Vote no!

The Compassion Animal Hospital opposes Proposition 129. Vote no!