The Best Colorado Dog Rescues & Shelters in 2026

Farfel's Farm and Dog Rescue

Farfel's Rescue was begun in 2003 in Santorini, Greece when Sandy insisted on bringing home a street dog. Ella led us down the cliffs of Santorini to a shallow cave. Her three week old puppies squeaked their indignation that Mom was late with dinner. Ella and her pups came on a long transport with multiple stops along the way finally landing in Colorado and into the arms of their incredible families.

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Western Border Collie Rescue

Ventura County Animal Services (VCAS) is an open admission, life-saving, municipal animal welfare agency in the County of Ventura. The Camarillo Shelter, the main shelter, is located between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara Counties and houses the Administrative Offices and Veterinary Hospital. The Camarillo Shelter has a 400-animal capacity which can increase to over 900 during declared natural disasters. The Simi Valley Animal Shelter is smaller facility located three miles from Moorpark College and can house up to 40 animals. The Simi Valley Shelter, however smaller, offers many of the same services and opportunities as the Camarillo Shelter, such as the intake of stray and surrendered animals, pet adoptions, pet licensing, the reclaim of lost animals, and volunteer opportunities. VCAS offers a wide array of programs and services to the residents and animals of Ventura County. These services include animal sheltering, pet adoptions, lost & found, field services, cruelty investigations, pet licensing, TNR surgical services, low-cost vaccination clinics, volunteer/foster opportunities and emergency disaster response. VCAS provides contract services to the residents of Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Simi Valley, Ventura, and all unincorporated areas of Ventura County. VCAS is dedicated to improving the lives of the animals in their care, and to safeguard the community through rabies suppression and the sheltering of stray animals.

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National Mill Dog Rescue

NMDR's mission is to RESCUE, REHABILITATE and RE-HOME discarded breeding dogs and to educate the general public about the cruel realities of the commercial dog breeding industry.

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Great Pyrenees Rescue And Sanctuary

PYRescue is a Sanctuary for Pyrenees while awaiting Adoption. Great Pyrenees Rescue and Sanctuary, Inc., located in Peyton, Colorado run by Judy Dole and Dr. Michael Heffron

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All Points West German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue

We are a volunteer operated 501(c)3 non-profit organization passionate about the welfare of German Shorthaired Pointers.

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Teller County Regional Animal Shelter

TCRAS is based in Divide, Colorado. TCRAS is a 501c3 non-profit, limited access shelter serving communities throughout the Pikes Peak region. We do not receive state or federal funding, but rely on the support of donors, fundraising events, grants, individuals, and corporate donors. What does ‘limited admissions’ mean? (Formally known as ‘no-kill’.) We select animals we feel fit our programs and recourses, and will be able to be adopted. Due to our size and giving the extra time and attention to each animal we do have a wait list. We concentrate on special needs and work with tough cases, that other shelters may not have the time or resources to care for. We transfer pets from shelters with high euthanasia rates to help the overall animal welfare community. We do not euthanize animals due to lack of space or time. However, there are some cases in which an animal is too sick, too injured, or too dangerous for our community and we have to make the hard decision to euthanize. It is a very rare occurrence for us. Less than 1%. We have many programs that help our community with the needs of the animals. We have a program to help low income households in Teller County spay and neuter their pets. We are working hard to assistance the rural parts of the county with low cost vaccination clinics to ensure the animals of Teller County are happy and healthy.

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All Breed Rescue & Training

All Breed Rescue & Training (ABRT) is a nonprofit dog rescue and training organization based in Colorado Springs. Since 1994, we’ve been rescuing, rehabilitating, and finding forever families for dogs deemed unadoptable and facing euthanasia. Our 98% adoption success rate proves that our positive reinforcement- and relationship-based training works. And we offer this training to the whole community—our many on-site, certified, trainers can help make your canine a happy member of your family, always.

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San Luis Valley Animal Welfare Society

The San Luis Valley Animal Welfare Society is a nonprofit (501c3) all volunteer organization (only 1 person per day to care for the dogs). Our primary mission is to improve the well being of animals (primarily dogs and cats) in the San Luis Valley (SLV). The San Luis Valley is the largest alpine valley in the world (roughly the size of Connecticut). It is also the poorest region of Colorado (1/3 of the residents in the county our shelter is in live below the poverty level. All dogs are spayed/neutered before adoption. And we have provided many many families with fine companion animals. The shelter is high in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of southern Colorado. Wildlife abounds on the site with buffalo, elk, and beaver. In summer, alpine butterflies, and many species of hummingbirds are everywhere. The shelter occupies the former Battle Mt. Goldmine facility - 17,000 sq.ft. of high-quality metal buildings. The Animal Assistance Foundation of Denver has helped us greatly - for example, funding our high tech yellow Mason kennels and our insulated dog houses.

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Summit Dog Rescue / Pod To The Rescue

We are a small volume rescue with a huge focus on humane education. We rescue dogs and cats and work with our adopters/fosters and the general public to educate about how to best support our companion animals so that their placements can be successful. Unwanted pets is at epidemic levels, and without education we won't make progress. Our rescue is unique in that we are run by multiple certified dog trainers and behavior professionals. We have a podcast called Pod To The Rescue, which is produced with the goal of providing evidence based behavioral support to adopters and fosters.

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Jailbreak husky rescue

Jailbreak Husky Rescue is a 501(C)(3) and PACFA licensed organization based out of Colorado that aims to rescue, rehabilitate, transport, rehome and advocate for Siberian Huskies and other northern breeds that are at risk of being euthanized, abandoned, or in neglectful or abusive situations. Our mission has a specialized focus on pregnant or nursing northern breeds, including pre-natal and postpartum care, whelping, bottle, syringe and tube feeding, and breed-focused litter care and development.

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Ho-Bo Care Boxer Rescue

Ho-Bo Care Boxer Rescue is a non-profit, all volunteer group in Colorado. We have been active and engaged in our community since 1972.

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My Fairy Dawg Mother Rescue LLC

The Fairy Dawg Mother works with trusted partners in Colorado and nearby states to bring dawgs to the Denver Metro area, where they will have a better chance at adoption. We do our best to select dogs that will be highly successful candidates for placement with a new furever family, but change can be stressful for even the most easy-going dawg. Because of this, we work with foster families to start getting them stabilized, learn about each dawg's individual temperament, and provide training and guidance to the dawg.

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PawsCo

PawsCo is a 501(c)3 animal welfare organization based in Denver, Colorado. PawsCo is dedicated to reducing pet homelessness by partnering with animal shelters and other rescues in order to help the most in-need animals ‚ those animals not thriving in a shelter setting.

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Eagle County Animal Shelter

Animal Services provides care and shelter to stray animals in need while maintaining a safe community where we promote responsible pet ownership through outreach, education and enforcement. Animal Services Officers respond to calls of animals at large, aggressive animals or animal bites, excessive barking, or other animal control issues.

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2nd Chance Vizsla Rescue Inc.

The main goal of 2CVR is to match Vizslas in need of forever homes with loving families. We are dedicated to providing rehabilitation, medical care, and in-home foster care for abandoned or abused purebred Vizslas or Vizsla mixes. We do not board our rescues in a kennel environment. We strive to educate the community regarding responsible dog ownership, including: the spay/neuter or companion animals, assisting shelters by promoting awareness, working with shelter managers/directors in our targeted area, and bringing shelter dogs on board as quickly as possible. We are an independent Vizsla rescue organization. We do, however, coordinate with the Vizsla Club of America (VCA) and other Vizsla rescue organizations around the United States. Our purpose is to help the Vizsla and the people who love and support the breed. As necessary, we offer support to shelters that handle stray or surrendered Vizslas. It is our goal to leave no Vizsla in a shelter or surrendering home longer than it takes to arrange pickup/release of the animal to 2CVR and foster care. Our funding is based primarily on personal donations, adoption donations, participation in local fund raising projects and grants.

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My Second Home Rescue

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All Aboard Animal Rescue

All Aboard Animal Rescue’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for both pets and people through the process of matching adoptable animals with their forever homes. We never discriminate who can ride this train. Our team of staff, volunteers, and fosters work hard to ensure every dog and cat receives all the necessary care and love they need to live a happy life. No animal shall be rejected a chance at finding their forever home due to high medical expense, age, size, breed, perceived temperament, lack of space, or too much time spent in a shelter. Community Outreach and Education To maintain the integrity and sustainability of our platform, we prioritize the ways in which All Aboard impacts the viewpoints and ethics of the general public. While our main focus is helping our dogs and cats safely journey to their forever homes, we also place a lot of emphasis on the educational resources we can provide to our adoptive families and the communities in which we operate. Our ultimate goal is to reduce the extreme euthanasia rates throughout the United States. The solution begins with mandatory spay and neuter laws for all rescue animals, as well as the encouraging of potential adopts to familiarize themselves with the breeds in which they are interested, responsible pet ownership, and comprehensive pet training following the adoption of any our dogs. Grassroots Fundraising It requires a lot of funding to keep this operation chugging along. Funding from donors is instrumental in allowing us to continue saving lives, taking in special-needs cases, restocking supplies, and supporting our partner vet, rescue staff, and volunteers. Donations also allow us to build relationships with shelters along our rescue network, and contribute to our community in a multitude of ways. Your support helps move us forward.

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Animal Friends Alliance

Animal Friends Alliance is Adoption-guarantee shelter and subsidized spay/neuter clinic offering resources to keep pets in loving homes. Serving Northern Colorado and beyond.

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Paws And People

We are a non-profit 501 (c)(3) working to help shelter animals find life long homes. We work with shelters, other established rescue groups, and community programs for the well being of animals in need. Many animals are cared for and given new hope through positive networks of people working together for their benefit. We help these animals receive medical treatment, foster homes and a family to provide permanent, loving, homes for them.

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Fort Morgan Humane Society

Fort Morgan Humane Society began in the summer of 2007, when members from the community came together to form a group to address the needs of homeless animals ​ in Fort Morgan, Colorado. The purpose of the Fort Morgan Humane Society (hereinafter called “FMHS”) is the prevention of cruelty and neglect to animals, to relieve animals’ suffering, the extension of humane education, and the promotion of ethical treatment of animals. FMHS is fully licensed for running a shelter, including a 501c-3 tax exempt certificate, and a license from PACFA, all in good standing. It is the policy of FMHS to provide humane care and treatment for all animals needing protection in the area served by FMHS; to seek to return lost animals to their owners; to advocate for sterilization and immunization; to seek suitable homes for animals without owners. Animals under the care of FMHS shall be maintained in the highest standards established by the Humane Society of the United States and the American Humane Association.

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Colorado Animal Rescue

Colorado Animal Rescue, Inc. (C.A.R.E.) was incorporated in 1992 by local veterinarians. For nine years, we operated as a rescue providing placement for abandoned, stray, and surrendered animals out of the homes of dedicated C.A.R.E. board members. In 2000, through the combined efforts of co-founders Cindy Crandall and Jim Calaway, we opened the doors of our shelter facility. Sitting on a scenic piece of land generously donated by Colorado Mountain College, our shelter is a refuge for animals in need. Since opening, C.A.R.E. has taken in and placed close to 20,000 dogs, cats, and exotic pets.

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La Plata County Humane Society

La Plata County Humane Society is a private non-profit, that has been helping pets in need in rural, southwest Colorado since 1971! We adopt companion animals, provide low-cost spay/neuter, microchipping, and vaccination, have a robust trap-neuter-release program, a life-saving foster program, offer onsite training, and provide animal protection services.

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The Montrose Bully Breed Club

We began our journey in 2017 as a Local Facebook group dedicated to local Bully Breeds. We had the vision to grow into a Non-Profit and become PACFA certified so that we could assist with fostering and adoptions. We advocate for spay, neuter, the importance of proper training and being the best Bully Breed Ambassadors our town has seen. We have seen the community rally around us and support our cause through local events, donations, volunteers, fosters and adopters. TMBBC’s long term vision is to provide a unique space that brings together the community and the Bully Breeds we love. A one stop shop for education, training, fun exercise and community events; while providing sanctuary for young adults aging out of foster care, Veterans, and the Bully’s they prepare for their forever homes.

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Surface Creek Animal Shelter

Finding Inspiration in Every Animal Since 1997, individuals have volunteered to support companion animals of the Surface Creek Valley community. Our mission remains the same today; rescuing each from hunger, thirst, pain, injury, disease, discomfort, fear, and distress; while providing community welfare and giving companionship and support in forever homes. Our Story The Surface Creek Animal Shelter is a not-for-profit 501c3 organization. It operates the Surface Creek Animal Shelter and The Shelter Shoppe Thrift Store both located in Cedaredge, Colorado. Through its volunteers, the Surface Creek Animal Shelter provides care and support to over 400 cats and dogs each year and strives to find each animal, a forever home. Ways we accomplish our mission: • Socially conscious sheltering and maintaining our shelter as an adoption guarantee facility • Adhering to the rules and regulations of Colorado’s Pet Animal Care Facilities Act • Providing nutrition, hydration, exercise, and necessary healthcare to all animals in our care until adoption or relocation • Actively seeking good adoptive homes for all adoptable animals • Promoting responsible pet ownership with an active spay/neuter program • Pursuing funds through grants, fundraisers, and monthly sustaining donations • Improving the welfare and sheltering of companion animals in Delta County o Includes vaccination, identification chipping, spaying/neutering, and routine or urgent veterinary care

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City of Montrose Animal Services

Animal Services provides both animal control and animal sheltering functions for the City of Montrose. Animal Control Animal control enforces city ordinances relating to animals. These ordinances prevent or minimize nuisances caused by the improper or irresponsible care of animals. Animal control officers are certified by the State of Colorado Animal Control Association. They provide humane care to all animals, birds, and reptiles at large.

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Grand Rivers Humane Society

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Gunnison Valley Animal Welfare League

The Gunnison Animal Lovers (GAL) was founded in 1986. GAL’s founders, after 16 years of meeting the ever-increasing demands of the growing population, turned over the reins of the organization to a group of newer volunteers, charging them with continuing established programs and leading a re-energized effort to build a shelter. In October 2003, the organization became the Gunnison Valley Animal Welfare League (GVAWL) and a mission statement was articulated. Organizational structure was delineated. The Articles and Bylaws were refashioned and enlarged upon, and the Board of Directors was expanded. In 2004, written policies were set in place; revision of these is an iterative and ongoing process. Since 2006, we have worked with Gunnison County and the City of Gunnison to establish a county-wide animal shelter. With a grant from the MacAllister Family Foundation of $100,000, fundraising efforts began. The family of Miya Must, a GVAWL volunteer at the time of her death in 2008, has donated $85,000. The Animal Assistance Foundation contributed $50,000 to the building and continue to provide invaluable advice and support. In addition to the shelter effort – planning, fundraising, building, and equipping – GVAWL has continued to carry out its mission, using our system of dedicated foster-care providers supplemented by boarding. Before the Shelter opened in June 2014, our average number of adoptions per year was 100. Now it is 400. About the Gunnison Valley Animal Shelter and Adoption Center In 2007, GVAWL hired Gunnison architect Jody Reeser, AIA, to design the building, and J. Crockett Farnell, of Black Dragon Development, a Crested Butte firm, to build it. Engineering was done by Resource Energy Group, a leader in environmental considerations, also of Crested Butte. Local subcontractors were employed. The shelter sits on two acres of land leased to GVAWL by Gunnison County. The building, Phase 1 of a projected larger facility, is 1,300 sq ft, and features everything necessary for full service. Two large dog exercise/play yards adjoin the building on its east side. The flooring is concrete under a new, poured product that wraps up the walls for ease of cleaning. The HVAC system changes the air in the entire facility ten times an hour. Each dog kennel has a discreet grated and graveled drain. Solar tubes and windows situated for cross-ventilation maximize energy conservation. Phase 1, completed in June of 2014, was designed for ease of expanding into Phase 2, planned for another 3,400 sq ft. Infrastructure for this phase is in place. Phase 2 will have more kennel space, a community space for outreach activities, a small veterinary-treatment room, and office space.

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Leadville/Lake County Animal Shelter

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URGAS Conour Animal Shelter

The Upper Rio Grande Animal Society is an all volunteer board which does business as the Conour Animal Shelter and the Conour Animal Crematory. We have a board of five to six members, and two to four paid employees. We welcome (and need!) volunteers and appreciate their help to serve the needs of the dogs! The Conour Animal Shelter is a caring and compassionate shelter for dogs. We directly serve Rio Grande County, and we often receive dogs from Saguache County, Mineral County, Alamosa County, Conejos County, and Costilla County. All of these counties are located in the San Luis Valley, which is about the size of Connecticut extending 125 miles long and 65 miles wide. There are only two other shelters for dogs in the San Luis Valley, one in Alamosa and one in San Luis. You've heard the phrase "everyone has a story", well it's the same for dogs too. Our dogs come from every corner of the San Luis Valley and they all have a story. Many of them were homeless, abandoned, abused, neglected, lost, or relinquished by their owners. While each dog's story may be different, they all just want an opportunity to love and be loved. On any given day, our shelter is home to more than 30 dogs waiting to meet you and find their forever home. Check out our Adoption and Fostering information! The Conour Animal Crematory accepts a variety of animals. This is the only animal crematory in the San Luis Valley! Check out our Crematory page for more information. The shelter and crematory require approximately $180,000 a year to operate. This includes wages, maintenance of facilities, and first and foremost serving all the needs of the dogs! We do receive about a third of these costs from our governmental supporters. Fees do bring in some funds but do not begin to cover costs. Therefore, we rely heavily on grants and donors like you!

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Humane Society of Pagosa Springs

The Humane Society of Pagosa Springs is a private, nonprofit animal shelter serving Archuleta County in Colorado. Our goal is to provide a safe haven for animals in need, to promote adoptions, to reunite lost animals with their owners, and to humanely reduce pet overpopulation through community education and spay/neuter programs. We also offer pet retention programs to help keep pets with their loving families. The Humane Society of Pagosa Springs operates an Animal Shelter located at 465 Cloman Boulevard and a Thrift Store downtown at 279 Pagosa Street, Pagosa Springs, CO. Animal Shelter Originally called the Upper San Juan Humane Society, the Humane Society of Pagosa Springs (name change made in 1999) had a modest beginning in 1984 with the donation of a gold Krugerrand. The donor’s daughter, Debra Rinker Brown, raffled the coin to start a construction fund for an animal shelter. Shortly after that, songwriter and musician, Dan Fogelberg, volunteered to perform a concert and donate the proceeds to the project. The concert raised about $20,000, which enabled the construction of the original animal shelter. Town, county, and local contractors cooperated to build the shelter between 1984-86, thanks to the organizational skills of Ms. Brown. Since the organization was founded back in 1984, there has been significant growth in Pagosa Springs. By 2000, it become obvious that the original shelter would no longer suit the needs of the growing number of animals in our community. The site at Steven’s Lake was deemed unexpandable due to water pressure and septic system overload, so the Humane Society Board of Directors located suitable land for a new shelter facility – 11 acres adjacent to an industrial park – located at 465 Cloman Boulevard. And two donors made donations to help HSPS purchase the land. A few years later, architectural design was complete and the Homeward Bound Capital Campaign was launched in 2007 for the construction of the new shelter. On April 12, 2007, ground was officially broken to begin the construction, and the building was ready for occupancy on November 28, 2007. Today, the Humane Society of Pagosa Springs provides shelter to more than 700 animals annually. As we continue to see the population explode in Archuleta County, we’re having to look at the possibility of expanding the shelter so we can continue to carry on our long history of serving both animals and citizens in many new and exciting ways. Thrift Store Since opening its doors in 1994, the Humane Society Thrift Store is in its third location due to growth in donations and business. The first store was named The Pack Rack Thrift Store and opened in November 1994 on Lewis Street. Within six months the store was flooded with donations, and more space was needed. In the spring of 1995, the store moved to a larger facility on South 6th Street, where it remained for the next five years. The store’s business continued to expand with more employees hired and even antiques being sold online. In order to support the plan for building a new animal shelter, the Board of Directors realized that they needed to secure the thrift store’s future with the purchase of a building instead of being housed in leased space and at a landlord’s mercy. The decision was made to purchase the old Baptist church property on Pagosa Avenue in downtown Pagosa Springs and convert it to the permanent home of the thrift store. After much work with walls being knocked down and extensive repairs made, the grand opening of the Thrift Store at 279 Pagosa Street was held on June 3, 2000. Shortly thereafter, the name of the thrift store changed from The Pack Rack Thrift Store to The Humane Society Thrift Store.

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Second Chance Humane Society

Beginnings Second Chance Humane Society has served Ouray, San Miguel, & Montrose Counties since 1994. Our Mission: Connecting Pets, People, & Community While Saving Lives Angel Ridge Ranch, our 52-acre property, is just a mile north of Ridgway and serves as our animal resource center. Here we rehabilitate, provide medical care, spay/neuter, re-home, and nurture hundreds of homeless pets a year. Gratitude Our work is possible because of the generous support and advocacy from our surrounding community, visitors, and other animal welfare partners. We hold the deepest gratitude for all who support us. We Believe Pets & People Live Better Together Take a Look Around our Animal Resource Center in beautiful Ridgway, Colorado. Our cats are housed in the ranch house. They are grouped by compatibility and temperament in separate rooms with windows to see the world outside. Cat rooms also have catios, climbing structures, and other feline-enriching features. We also have individual cat cubbies for those who don’t play well with others, are adjusting to shelter life, or need time to recuperate from medical procedures. Smitty’s Dog Den is a newer, thoughtfully-designed space for our canine residents. They have outdoor runs, and inside rooms. A separate wing of the den is for new arrivals, where they can settle in and we can get to know them. Our volunteers and staff take dogs to our fenced play area or on walks around our acreage. There are ponds to splash in and spacious areas to play fetch. We also have spaces on the property for classes, meetings, and gatherings.

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El Dorado County Animal Services - South Lake Tahoe

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Routt County Humane Society

The Routt County Humane Society, Inc., (RCHS) is a 501(c)3 organization, established in 1985 to serve the welfare of animals in Routt County, Colorado. Since its inception, RCHS has worked in partnership with the Steamboat Springs Animal Shelter (SSAS), a facility of City of Steamboat Springs to provide veterinary care for shelter animals as well as spay/neuter to reduce future unwanted pet population. We have also become a source of assistance for low income family pets.

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Logan County Humane Society

Logan County Humane Society is a 501C3, non-profit, and limited admission animal shelter. Our mission is to find loving forever homes for the animals that pass through our facility. We use a highly successful adoption process that includes a home check and spay and neuter requirements to accomplish this. Each year, millions of cats, dogs, and other animals will enter shelters and rescue groups nationwide through no fault of their own. Owners cite “moving” as the number one reason for not being able to keep a pet. This means that shelters are filled with healthy and loving dogs and cats waiting for a family.

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Noah's Ark Animal Welfare Association

Noah's Ark Animal Welfare Association is a private 501C3 nonprofit organization. Funding for our operations is through a city contract, fees for services and adoptions, and donations. Grants are also used to fund our numerous programs. To provide additional financial support for shelter operations, in 2013 Noah’s Ark launched The Noah's Ark Thrift Store – an upscale thrift store benefiting the shelter, which makes up a significant portion of our annual budget.

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