IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL COLORADO – Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s partners at Children’s Hospital Colorado have seen pets improve their family members’ lives – and health. A family pet can lower heart rates, reduce loneliness, increase physical activity and improve kids’ ability to read emotions and respond. There are factors to consider before adding a pet to the family. Read Children’s Colorado’s advice on family pets here.
One way to get outside and enjoy time with a four-legged family member is at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Dog Days! Finn, a one-year-old great Pyrenees-poodle mix, has attended Dog Days three times, experiencing the stimulating sights, sounds and smells at the Zoo, while enriching Zoo animals’ lives with his presence. His person, Amber Gates, says she’s not sure who has more fun: Finn, as he enthusiastically explores, or her, as she watches his pure joy unfold.
“Because we’ve gone to Dog Days a few times, Finn starts getting excited in the car when we turn up towards the Zoo now,” Amber says. “His ears perk up like, ‘Hey! I know this place and it’s really fun!’ Once we’re inside the Zoo, he knows exactly where he wants to go: straight to the penguins. He likes to watch them swimming, and they pause at the glass to check him, too. It’s so fun.”
On scheduled Dog Days at CMZoo, guests are welcome to bring their well-mannered family dogs with them to the Zoo. Since offering the sporadic event since May 2023, the guest experience team and animal care team have fine-tuned the experience so it’s enriching for Zoo animals and enjoyable for visiting dogs and humans.
Service dogs are always welcome at the Zoo, so seeing a dog is not an entirely new experience for animals that live at the Zoo. But, service dogs behave differently than a family pet, and they visit in much smaller numbers.
Most Zoo animals do not behave any differently on Dog Days than they do on a normal day. Others are excited for a short time, and then return to their normal behaviors. Some animals, like ring-tailed lemurs and meerkats, noticeably strengthened their bonds as a group.
“Meerkats are well known for their sentinel antipredator behaviors, observed in the wild and in human care,” Rick Hester, CMZoo’s curator of animal behaviors, says. “During Dog Days, we have observed the meerkats working together, presumably with the goal to remove dogs from their view. We have seen the meerkats huddle together and approach a dog, which is called ‘mobbing.’ All the dogs eventually move away, and the meerkats, having seemingly accomplished their goal, would resume other activities like foraging for food. From the perspective of the meerkats, they were successful!”
African lions and mountain lions are typically intrigued by the dogs, exhibiting classic big-cat stalking behaviors.
“The mountain lions were definitely out and watching the dogs,” Amber says. “I imagined them watching and wondering, ‘Is that a friend or a snack?’ Finn didn’t pay a lot of attention to the mountain lions, but his reaction to the African lions was interesting. The lions were laid back while we were there, but Finn positioned himself between me and them, as if he was feeling an instinct to protect me. I haven’t seen that from him before, so that was a new experience for both of us.”
Dog Days at CMZoo is a special event with limited availability. Advance tickets are required for humans and their canine companions, and tickets can sell out fast! Each dog must have a dog ticket to enter the Zoo; human tickets will not be honored for dog admission.
For upcoming Dog Days dates, requirements and ticket information, visit cmzoo.org/dogdays. See a guide to Dog Days here.
“It’s such a unique opportunity to see animals interact,” Amber says. “The goats were totally smitten with Finn. It was like they were thinking, ‘You kind of look like me, but I don’t think we’re the same.’ Watching the dogs explore and engage with animals they wouldn’t normally encounter is incredible.”
There are currently four Dog Days on the calendar:
– Friday, March 14, 2025
– Friday, March 21, 2025
– Friday, April 11, 2025
– Friday, April 25, 2025
As for Finn, Amber says they’ll definitely be back – ears perked, tail wagging and ready for another unforgettable day of exploration together.
“We 100% recommend it,” Amber says. “It’s a great way to bond with your dog while experiencing something totally unique.”
