CARE Adoption Process
Thank you for considering Colorado Animal Rescue Shelter for your next animal companion! The following information is intended to give you an overview of the shelter’s adoption process.
Adoption Applications
Colorado Animal Rescue strives to make every adoption a match for life! So that we may be assured that the animal you wish to adopt is well suited for you, your home, and lifestyle, and is placed in an environment that is compatible with their needs, we ask that you complete our adoption application. These adoption applications are specific to dogs/puppies, and cats/kittens. We keep completed applications on file for a period of time, but we may ask you to complete a new application if it has been a while since your prior visit or previous adoption.
The adoption application takes 24 hours to process. Like the majority of shelters and rescues in Colorado, CARE is not a "same day" adoption facility. We require 24 hours to process your application. This includes obtaining permission from landlords or property owners in the case of rental situations, discussing the application with you, contacting references, etc.
We recommend that you discuss the process with young children before visiting the shelter, to help ensure that they understand that they won’t be bringing an animal home right away. Tip – a great approach is to make the 24 hours festive, by thinking of a new name for your animal, picking out some new toys, and so on.
The application is to help us serve you. We are delighted to have you think of a shelter as a source for your new pet, and we are grateful that you are considering adopting from Colorado Animal Rescue. Our application process is simply a means to assure that we have all the pertinent information for the animal’s records and our adoption paperwork, and to help us glean information about what lifestyle fits you are looking for. The more you tell the staff about your needs and wishes in a pet, the better we can assist you through the process of finding a friend for life!
The Shelter may decline your adoption application. In some cases, the shelter staff may say no on a particular animal you are interested in. This animal may simply be an inappropriate match for your home, or there may be other circumstances. In this case, we will often suggest other animals to consider, or offer to work with you to find a good match. Rarely, CARE will decline any adoption to a particular party. Colorado Animal Rescue reserves the right to postpone or decline any adoption.
Making a Match For Life
Adoptions are not always first come, first served. It is the shelter’s goal to make a match for life. You and your family’s needs in a companion animal may not match the animal that first caught your eye. We may suggest several other animals to consider, or some lifestyle adjustments that would need to occur to make the animal you are interested in, work for you and your family. CARE wants you to be delighted in your new companion animal. CARE also wants to place each animal in the environment best suited to its needs. "Love at first sight!" is not always the best approach when bringing an animal into your life.
This an adoption, not a purchase. Through our adoption contract, we make specific the requirements for your animal’s care, and detail the shelter’s expectations of you. The shelter is here to be a constant resource for you and your family throughout your pet’s life. We encourage you to contact the shelter at any time with any questions or concerns you may have – you are a "part of the family" now! We also love to know how each animal is doing in its new home, and adopters frequently contact us with updates on their animals. Most importantly you have given your animal a special gift, and you have also helped the staff and volunteers at CARE carry on with this important work. With loving people like you, we can all make a difference in the lives of animals!
Adoptable Animals
For a list of pets currently up for adoption at CARE, please visit PetFinder.com, call (970) 947-9173, or download an Adoption Application for a prospective pet below.
Dog Adoption Application 
PDF
Cat Adoption Application PDF
