DENVER -- Dogs and cats at the Colorado Humane Society are suffering, according to current and former employees of the facility who accuse shelter officials of gross mismanagement.

More than half a dozen current and former employees, whom 7NEWS will refer to as "whistleblowers," accuse the charity's officials of mismanaging donations, avoiding government accountability and improperly disposing of dead animals in a Dumpster.

Those who volunteer their time to help homeless animals are deserving of immense praise and admiration and the mission of the Colorado Humane Society is one to be applauded, however, whistleblowers told 7NEWS that officials with the shelter have apparently lost sight of that mission.

Officials with the Colorado Humane Society have denied any wrongdoing. The organization's executive director said 7NEWS' sources are disgruntled and not to be believed.

"I feel an obligation to stop what's going on at the shelter," one whisteblower told 7NEWS.

Another said, "I feel like there is money going places and being unaccounted for."

A third told CALL7 Investigator Tony Kovaleski, "Something needs to happen. These animals aren't being taken care of to the degree they need to be."

The financial questions begin at the office of the Colorado Secretary of State where the Colorado Humane Society's license to collect charitable donations was suspended in April 2004.

That same year, the Secretary of State's Office sent a letter to Colorado Humane Society stating it is against the law to solicit donations with an expired license, but the organization continued to collect donations for more than three years, with a suspended license, including a $10,000 donation in August 2007.

"Your license has been suspended since April of 2004 with the Colorado Secretary of State. Do you know that?" Kovaleski asked Mary Warren, executive director of the Colorado Humane Society.

Warren replied, "No."

Records provided by the Secretary of State show Colorado Humane Society received three delinquency notices before the letter of suspension.

Kovaleski asked Warren, "You're the executive director. You're on the board of directors and you don't know that your license has been suspended since 2004?"

Warren again replied, "No."

Colorado Humane Society is one of several hundred non-profit organizations in which the Secretary of State's office listed as "suspended," however, many of those organizations are no longer operating.

After learning of the 7NEWS Investigation, Colorado Humane Society is working to fully reinstate its license with the Secretary of State so they can once again legally solicit donations.

As of this writing, the Secretary of State lists the organization as "Delinquent."

Other accountability questions center on a 1986 Mercedes Benz, donated to Colorado Humane Society in January.

One whistleblower told 7NEWS, "The Mercedes was donated by a woman who specifically wanted it to go towards the animals. And somehow Bob [Warren] and Mary started driving a new Mercedes Benz."

"Are you aware of any vehicle donations that you have received in the last year?" Kovaleski asked Mary Warren.

She said, "In the past year, I don't know."

State records show the Mercedes was registered to Warren's husband, Bob, and not to the Colorado Humane Society. Bob Warren is the shelter's director of development.

Gina Godfrey and her uncle donated the Mercedes.

She told 7NEWS, "Bob said, 'Gosh we'll get at least $3,000 for this car in auction.'"

Bill Godfrey said, "I wanted that money to go to the animal shelter."

Documents obtained by 7NEWS show Bob Warren bought the Mercedes for $1,160 through a payroll deduction from Colorado Humane Society.

The car was registered in Bob's name and he used documents from eBay to justify the $1,160 he paid, even though that amount is less than half the Blue Book value and well below the $3,000 he told Gina Godfrey they should be able to get from auction.

Gina Godfrey told 7NEWS, "I wouldn't consider it ethical. We were making a donation of a vehicle that was supposed to be auctioned. The maximum amount of money was supposed to be generated to be given to take care of animals at the Colorado Humane Society. We weren't giving Bob a car for $1,100."

Her uncle was also angered when he learned the car was registered to Bob Warren, saying, "I think it's wrong and frankly I think the dogs got cheated."

After talking with her husband, Mary Warren did recall the Mercedes donation, and after learning of our investigation Bob Warren sent an e-mail to 7NEWS in which said he will return the car to Colorado Humane Society. The e-mail goes on to say the car will be donated to charity.

Ultimately, current and former employees say the mysterious money trail surrounding the Mercedes illustrates an environment with no apparent accountability, where employees see large donations while their paychecks frequently bounce and where, whistleblowers say, managers take shortcuts with homeless animals.

"The animals are suffering. We have expired vaccinations, but [Bob and Mary Warren] are driving a Mercedes when they already have three cars," said a whisteblower.

Kovaleski asked Mary Warren, "Would you ever use expired medications or vaccines on your animals?"

Warren replied, "Absolutely, positively not."

"And if former employees said you have, how would you respond?" Kovaleski asked.

"I would say that if there were some ex-employees that believed that, maybe there's a reason they're ex-employees," Mary Warren said.

The CALL7 Investigators will have more on the improper disposal of dead animals in a Dumpster on Tuesday night at 10 p.m.

Important Note: The Colorado Humane Society does not have a direct association with the National Humane Society or the Humane Society of the United States. In fact, Colorado Humane Society is not linked to any other animal shelter in the state or nation. It is a private non-profit entity.