ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- It’s the end of the line for the old Colorado Humane Society Shelter on South Platte River Drive in Englewood.

Employees loaded up six dogs and 20 cats into three vehicles Tuesday and then locked the gates for good.

The animals are on their way to a new shelter run by a new organization, but first they will make a brief stop at the VCA Alameda East Veterinary Hospital.

This journey began more than two years ago, when 7NEWS Investigators broke a story about a dozen dead animals that had been discarded in a Dumpster. Previous shelter managers were accused of trying to cover that up and of mismanaging donations.

“It’s really bittersweet for me,” said Susan Fredinburg, one of the whistleblowers who brought the allegations to the attention of 7NEWS. “We did this for the animals. We were their voice.”

Fredinburg choked up while talking about the ups and downs of the last few years.

“To be here today without a single animal barking or meowing is really sad,” she said, “but I’m excited about the new journey.”

Fredinburg said the animals are undergoing checkups at the veterinary hospital and are being bathed and groomed.

“I hope they don’t stress too much,” said Stephanie Arms, another one of the whistleblowers. “I know it’s a different situation for them, but we’ll get them all settled.”

Arms and Fredinburg are now both operations managers at the new Humane Society of the South Platte Valley.

HSSPV is opening a new shelter on Chenango Avenue just west of Santa Fe Drive.

CEO Nick Fisher said the new facility measures 6,500 square feet and will have its own surgical area to spay and neuter animals as well as isolation rooms for animals in quarantine. He said there will also be a big back yard so that the dogs can run and play.

“Everything that we’ve done to this point is to have an animal shelter that the public can be proud of," Fisher said. "Our sole purpose is to get animals adopted, to get animals back home.”

Although the old Colorado Humane Society shelter is now closed, the organization itself still exists.

Operations Manager Kate Lindenbaum told 7NEWS that the society is “transitioning into a different type of organization.”

“Actually, it’s going back to its roots as a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals,” Lindenbaum said.

“It’s going to be weird not coming to this place every day,” she added. “But it’s also really exciting because Colorado Humane has had such an up and down history, and now I think it’s finally going to get the opportunity to stabilize and restructure into something much better.”

Lindenbaum said she’s thankful that a handful of employees stuck to their guns in trying to make changes.

“The system really worked,” she said. “We’re thankful to everybody that listened to us and took action. That’s why we’re here today with the help of a lot of people.”