The Best Denver, CO Dog Rescues & Shelters in 2026

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Soul Dog Rescue

Soul Dog is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit animal rescue organization founded with the mission to spay/neuter and protect animals. Soul Dog is proactive in animal welfare, advancing the need for spaying and neutering our pets to reduce overpopulation. We travel to rural communities on Native American reservations, where spaying and neutering will only happen if it is nearly free or very convenient. Soul Dog works with volunteer veterinarians to provide the spaying and neutering service at no cost to the public. Donations are used to defray the costs associated with medications, supplies, and the operating cost for clinics.

Colorado Saint Bernard Rescue

Colorado Saint Bernard Rescue is a 501(c)3 non-profit that was founded in 1997, all volunteer organization dedicated to the rehoming of unwanted, abandoned, and abused Saint Bernards and Saint Bernard mixes.

Harley's Dream

Harley's Dream was established in 2016 in honor of Harley, a senior one-eyed puppy mill survivor who became the face and voice of the puppy mill dogs, earning the distinction of being the 2015 American Hero Dog for his work. Our mission is to create awareness and educate the public about the cruel commercial dog breeding industry (also known as puppy mills) and to rescue and rehome senior dogs in need.

Mamco rescue dogs

Our mission is to ensure that all rescued animals are treated as valuable members of society through quality veterinary care, regular grooming, and excellent nutrition. We are a foster based, 501c3 non-profit rescue, dedicated to the health and wellbeing of mother dogs and cats and their litters. We see our rescue dogs and cats through pregnancy, birth (whelping), nursing, weaning, and adoption. In addition to providing necessary care, we also work to socialize, train, and evaluate each animal to ensure that they find permanent forever homes. This involves establishing close and trusting relationships with our volunteers, adopters, and the community.

Colorado Corgis and Friends

Colorado Corgis and Friends is a 501c3 Dog Rescue specializing in Corgis and other lowrider breeds. Established in late 2019 by a group of Corgi-loving people who love and understand the Corgi breed and love all other dogs as well. The founding members have over 100+ years of experience owning Corgis and 50+ years in Rescue. It is our pleasure and passion to help homeless dogs in need, help struggling owners rehome their pets, and offer advice on training issues typical of this herding breed.

A Friend of Jack Rescue

A Friend of Jack Rescue is a Colorado, foster-based 501(c)3 non-profit rescue dedicated to finding loving, lasting homes for unwanted dogs and puppies.

Taysia Blue Rescue | Siberian Huskies & Alaskan Malamutes

Taysia Blue Rescue is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. We are a family of volunteers and advocates dedicated to helping local Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes, and their guardians. We are funded solely and supported by, the generosity of individuals and corporations in our communities. All our dogs are located in approved foster homes in the metro areas of Omaha, Lincoln, Kansas City, Des Moines and Denver. Taysia Blue does not have a physical building and does not have set hours of operation.

NOCO Humane

Welcome to NOCO Humane, your community partner for comprehensive animal welfare services in Larimer and Weld counties. We have expanded our reach and our impact, taking on the sheltering and care of animals in Weld County in light of the dissolution of the Humane Society of Weld County. Join us as we heal, nature, and protect more than 10,000 animals in the year to come!

Evergreen Animal Protective League (EAPL)

The Evergreen Animal Protective League (EAPL) was organized in April, 1981 to aid lost, abandoned, and suffering animals through rescue, shelter, and education. Since that time, the League has provided a better life for thousands of cats, dogs, and other pets.

RezDawg Rescue

RezDawg Rescue collaborates with several rescues in NM, AZ and CO to ensure the safe and comfortable transport of unwanted animals to rescues, shelters and fosters where they will have a chance at a forever home. We relocate dogs and cats from high-intake shelters, animal control facilities, and reservations in the Four Corners area to animal rescue partners and forever homes in Colorado. We provide transportation to foster homes and other partner organizations, offer medical care and low/no cost spay and neuter services, manage a network of foster homes for temporary shelter, and run adoption events so that these animals can find forever homes.

Dumb Friends League

One of the ways the Dumb Friends League can fulfill its mission to end pet homelessness and animal suffering is to influence the laws and policies that protect animals and enhance their welfare. Our Advocacy team works with policymakers, animal welfare agencies, law enforcement and the community to drive the policies that make Colorado a leader in protecting our furry family members. We hope to help you stay informed on issues in Colorado and across the country that impact animal sheltering and welfare and continue to make systemic changes that benefit animals and the humans that love them, now and in the future

Foothills Animal Shelter

Foothills Animal Shelter is an open admission facility serving Jefferson County in the state of Colorado and is a member of the Metro Denver Animal Welfare Alliance. We are driven to make lives better for animals and people in our community. We are a Socially Conscious Animal Welfare Organization, creating the best outcomes for all animals that enter our care. We place every healthy and safe animal for adoption. We assess the medical and behavioral needs of homeless animals and ensure these needs are thoughtfully addressed. And, we alleviate suffering through thoughtful euthanasia.

Golden Retriever Freedom Rescue

A Dog Named Black Jack Animal Rescue Recovery, Inc.

We are an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit rescue aimed at saving urgent dogs in need in high kill shelters, through rescue, foster, and adoption. We are 100% funded through adoption fees and donations. We believe that every dog deserves a chance at a forever home and we strive to make that happen!

Big Dogs Huge Paws, inc

Big Dogs Huge Paws was founded on the core philosophy is that every "BIG" dog deserves a chance. Our goal is to make sure that every dog receives only the best of care, food, and training. We will also ensure that they are properly evaluated (medically and behaviorally) and placed according to their special needs. Our medical officer and veterinarian team will provide first aid training to all foster volunteers and health seminars about the latest developments in animal medicine. We work actively with professional behaviorists who train each foster home how to handle introductions, properly evaluate dogs, work through specific behavioral issues, etc. Foster families undergo training to ensure that the entire foster team is on the same page and has the tools they need for success. Eventually, our goal is to secure an actual facility where we can work with special behavioral or medical cases to give them the optimal chance of success! The dogs we have chosen to focus our rescue efforts on include Akbash, Anatolian Shepherds, Great Danes, Great Pyrenees, Leonbergers, Mastiffs (all types), Mountain Dogs (all types), Newfoundlands, Irish Wolfhounds, and Scottish Deerhounds. There is a huge need due to the fact that most of these breeds do not have any legitimate rescue options and there are always more dogs in need than any one organization can help. We will be taking a unique approach to public awareness and reaching outside of the box in our efforts. Community outreach and public relations are extremely important to Big Dogs Huge Paws. We believe that through being proactive and serving as a resource to the public as well as working together with the rest of the rescue community, we can decrease the number of dogs needing rescue in the first place and ensure that no gentle giant in need is forgotten or left behind. We have done a lot of research by talking with different local and national rescues and studying their organizational strengths and weaknesses. We have coupled that with our own first hand rescue experience and have decided the best way to protect the new rescue from the vulnerabilities and political issues that so many rescues suffer from is to build the management structure more like a true business. Our leadership team consists of an upper tier of Officers, a Senior Management Team, and Coordinators. Each member of our team is appointed by the officers based on their skills and abilities - rather than voted into office due to their popularity or the lack of other qualified candidates willing to run. Our primary goal with the organizational structure is to build a cohesive and respectful team of professionals who we can trust to "oversee" the daily operations and put together teams of volunteers to carry out the actual day to day activities. This strategy not only gets more volunteers involved, but removes the tremendous burden directors often experience in non-profit organizations. The directors "delegate" responsibilities which enables them to truly make a difference and not get bogged down with doing everything themselves. Our goal was to create a very positive and efficient working environment based on trust and merit to enable change and progress as we grow!

Brighter Days Dog Rescue

The Good Dog Rescue

Mile High German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue

We provide a second chance for German Shorthaired Pointers (GSPs) who have been abandoned, neglected, abused, surrendered or otherwise displaced and adopt them into permanent, loving homes that will nurture and appreciate their energetic, affectionate and loyal personalities.

Fureverdog Rescue and Boarding

We are a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization focused on helping stray, abandoned, homeless or owner surrender dogs to have a better life. We provide medical, spay/neuter, microchipping, vaccinations, food, water, a warm place to stay and lots of love. These pups are waiting for a second chance with a loving family.

Summit County Animal Shelter

Summit County Animal Control and Shelter is a division of the Summit County Sheriff's Office. We enforce the animal control regulations for unincorporated Summit County. The shelter is utilized by citizens and visitors of all Summit County.

PAWS ON THE GROUND COLORADO

We are a 501c3 organization dedicated to the reduction of euthanasia of shelter animals and puppy mill commerce through the promotion of adoption of our rescued animals. The objective of our rescue efforts are to raise awareness around animal welfare along with finding a best matched placement of our animal clients.

Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue

We rescue, rehabilitate and rehome Great Danes and Dane mixes. We help those that have been abused, abandoned, neglected or through no fault of their current family, just need to find a new forever home.

Mile High Labrador Retriever Mission

The Mile High Labrador Retriever Mission, (MHLRM), a 501(c)3 non-profit public charity, is dedicated to alleviating the needless death and suffering of homeless or misplaced (lost and stray) purebred Labrador Retrievers, as well as Labrador, mixes mostly in high-kill overpopulated pet areas that typically are out of state. By rescuing and rehabilitating homeless Labradors in high-kill areas, vigorously promoting responsible dog ownership through active participation in pet-related events, and through our education program, we strive for a better life for each of our animals. The majority of dogs that you see available for adoption with MHLRM were previously in county pounds or shelters that find themselves at capacity and are forced to euthanize, or dogs that have simply "sat on the shelf" and not gotten adopted quick enough and have run out of time. Many of these facilities use euthanasia methods that are considered inhumane by the majority of the US population but are still being implemented (ie. the gas chamber method or "heart-stick" method). ​ We are active in the metro areas of Colorado and Texas, and we belong to an amazing network of volunteers across the country who have worked hard in very rural areas to help get Labradors to safety since 2009. We have rescued Labs and lab mixes from Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming to name a few. When we learn of a dog in need, we coordinate foster arrangements and appropriate health care where the dog is and also here in Colorado, and then we attempt to bring them here to Colorado and MHLRM, find them an amazing family, and give them a new outlook on life.

Rocky Mountain Yorkie Rescue

Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue

Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue was started in 2007 when our founder saw a lab mix on Petfinder that was located in Oklahoma. After a long drive, she found the dog to be covered in fleas and ticks, skinny, and with fresh scars on his ears. She brought the dog back to Colorado and with proper food and medical care and some training, he turned out to be one of the sweetest, happiest, goofiest dogs ever. Today, RMLR consists of a small group of dedicated volunteers that find and re-home local and out of state Labrador Retrievers and Lab Mixes. We all have full time jobs, families and other activities in our lives, but are passionate about trying to save as many dogs as we can. We spend our own time working on the organization, planning to get these dogs out of shelters before they are euthanized, scheduling vet appointments, transporting dogs cross country and processing adoption applications. We find our Labs mostly through shelter volunteers out of state who will alert us to great dogs that don't have a future where they are at. Many of these labs are in High Kill Shelters, that are almost always full because they are in rural areas where the dogs run stray, and have lots of puppies because they have not been altered. We operate based on donations. The adoption fee typically does not cover the cost of getting the dog ready for their new home. If you can donate money, please click on the Donate button above. If you can not donate in the form of money we can always benefit from materials such as collars, leashes, crates/kennels, toys, treats (unopened), and high quality food (unopened). We will gladly take used items that are still in good condition.