MONTE VISTA — On Oct. 6, Conour Animal Shelter suffered its second break-in in less than a month.

President of the animal shelter's Board of Directors, David Cleghorn said, ”It was about 12:30 a.m. that the suspect gained access to the building at 2825 Sherman Ave. using a crowbar on the office door. He came in, went around the counter, he had a flashlight, and shined his flashlight down underneath the counter. To me, it looked like he knew what he was doing, and we think it was probably the same suspect that broke in the first time.”

Conour Animal Shelter was broken into on Sept. 10. According to Cleghorn, it had been “a pretty good day at the shelter” and they had quite a bit of money in the lockbox, due to some dogs being adopted.

Cleghorn said the treasurer was due to go by the next day to pick up the money from the shelter. The lockbox that held the money was pried open, and the money inside was taken. The person who robbed the shelter on Sept. 12, took about $500 in cash and about $300 in checks, for a total of about $800.

Cleghorn said their security system was updated following the first break-in. When the suspect gained access to the building the night of Oct.6, an alarm went off in the building. After the suspect was inside the building, he shined his light where the lockbox was kept under the counter at the shelter. The suspect then popped open the lockbox with a crowbar and found it was empty. The suspect then grabbed a laptop off the counter and ran out the door with it.

Cleghorn said that due to the first break-in, different security measures were put in place. One was the daily pickup of any cash or checks.

Another measure was updating and fixing the security system. The update was around $200. Cleghorn also said that more security features were going to be added to the shelter, including additional cameras, and the placement of metal bars over the windows and doors, in hopes that if anyone did try to break in again, that they would not feel the need to break the glass, with these new security features in place. The updates with the bars and cameras will be around $300 to $500 each.

The shelter is currently taking donations to try to recoup some of the money that was stolen, along with taking donations to purchase a new laptop. They have set up a GoFundMe page on their Facebook page, and they are also taking donations by cash or check.

Cleghorn said, “Above all else, our main priority is to keep our animals safe, in the shelter, while they are looking for their forever homes.”

In addition to donations, there is currently an overwhelming number of animals that are available for adoption through the shelter.

If you have any information at all on the suspect involved in the break-ins or would like to donate, or adopt a pet, contact the Conour Animal Shelter at 719-852-3366 or the Monte Vista Police Department.