I'm 45 and need to reinvent myself. I'm not following my passion - helping animals! I'd be willing to sell my properties and donate my 401k to help create an animal sanctuary in CO.

I'd like to model it after Best Friends, since they obviously know what they're doing (they also have a workshop I want to go to). I'm just not cool enough or brave enough to pull this off by myself, so if a few people with passion and/or resources think it's a possibility, maybe we could brainstorm a little and make something come of it.

This has been a dream forever and I have alot of ideas for bringing in regular income (aside from going after grant money and donations).

Hmmmm...stranger things have happened. And we all know the animals need some more help from us people that got hooked up with thumbs...

What part of the state are you thinking of for location? Here in the southeast corner, the real estate prices are probably the most affordable.

I live in Manitou Springs. I was envisioning an area up Ute Pass (just west of me in the mountains), but I'm open to any ideas. I was hoping for a treed area for shade purposes, but again I'm just in the brainstorming phase. Best Friends does fine without shade!

This corner of the state is pretty much high plains and tree free, but if you could get some property with irrigation available, you could always plant trees. The Ute Pass area is much more beautiful, but that probably increases the price of real estate. Not much to look at here, and we're pretty much in a constant state of "economic downturn," but if you're running a not-for-profit, that might be an advantage.

After reading your profile I think we must be going through the same crisis. LOL! :)

I live on the western slope near Grand Junction. We desperately need more shelters and rescues on this side of the state.
I would love to start a pit bull rescue but my visions are bigger than my wallet.
One piece of advice I can give you from personally being involved with a group of people that were trying to start a shelter like Best Friends..........have a plan and stick to it. If Best Friends is your model than make that quite clear right up front to anyone else that gets involved.
The downfall of the group I was involved with was that nearly everyone that was involved had their own ideas, opinions and agendas of what the shelter should be. In the end, everyone ended up throwing their hands up in the air in disagreement and walking away.
Make sure the people who join you have pretty much the same goals and ideas as you do for this sanctuary.

I understand that the Best Friends workshop on how to start a sanctuary is worth its weight in gold. Well worth the time. You might have a better idea what you want to do and how once you attended the workshop.

My husband and I live along the front range (longmont) and have always said that we would love to open a shelter like Best Friends. My biggest concern right now though is that there are shelters that are having to close their doors due to lack of funding and the recession is not helping. The shelter that we adopted our dog from is just a heart beat away from closing and it is a county shelter. The shelter in the neighboring town of Pueblo has already closed its doors and dogs and cats are just being left out on the streets. I am trying to find a way that we can help these shelters keep their doors open and the pets there will, at least for the time being, keep a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs.

But back to the original post, I am currently free to help in any way (except financially), when it comes to opening a shelter like Best Friends. I have time, energy, and passion for animals and can network and call and mail and volunteer my time to getting something like this going.

Desertponder, I grew up in GJ. Where I live now (Lamar) is decades behind where Junction was in the 70s. We have no county facility here, so rural dogs get shot or left alongside the highway, if they're lucky. Volunteer rescue groups try to take up the slack, but we have our work cut out for us, to say the least. The group I volunteer with finds homes for or transfers 300+ animals, mostly dogs, every year. We also do lots of spay/neuter. You'd think moving that many animals a year from a community of 8000 would have an impact on the numbers of homeless animals, but sometimes it doesn't seem like we're getting anything done.

We absolutely have the same idea!!!!!   My husband and I live in the Colorado Springs area and volunteer with an animal sanctuary up in Divide that needs a lot of help.  Our plans are to eventually open up an animal sanctuary somewhere relatively close to the Springs where we can help out Mariah's promise and other animals in need. I have 4 rescues of my own and can't keep bringing them into my home.  :)  I am starting to do fundraising research and am considering  attending the "Starting an animal sanctuary course at Best Friends"  I would love to do some brainstorming and see if there is any way to get something off the ground.

 

This has been a dream of mine since I was a child & I have placed several animals into homes over the years. I no longer work in the field (I was a vet tech & worked at kennels for years) & recently thru circumstance have found myself trying to help place animals again and find I miss it. I also need to place one of my own & realize there isn't anyplace for him to go. I would love to help brainstorm or see what ideas you have. I live in northern CO, work for a Realtor-perhaps you'd look at land up here? My only concern is the economy like someone else said things are tough, people are trying to get rid of their pets & nobody can afford to keep them. I will try to see what I can do brainstorm wise-are you open to any and all locations?

Hi,

I'm 47 and am in the same boat--wanting to work with animals. I currently volunteer at a wild animal sanctuary but need to do more. Please let me know how I can help!

 

Carol

Brighton, CO

Aloha All:

Please go to Hawaii Go Local page and then the Resource page there for some Wild Horse Sanctuaries in CO that can always use help.

Residing where you do you are blessed with wild horses which made this country.

Best of luck with all your efforts.

Take care,

Dennis Lubrano

Hawaii Go Local Team Leader

I went through this need to reinvent myself a few years ago too(I'm still working on it!!)....I started volunteering with a dog rescue group, based in Denver. It's Golden Retriever Freedom Rescue and we're non profit and now, in addition to Goldens, we rescue labs too. We've grown quickly and now have volunteers from Southern WY down to Co Springs. Just last weekend I adopted one of my foster dogs to a woman who lives in Snowmass. Although my dream is to have an animal sanctuary, this rescue group keeps me very busy and my husband and I have made alot of new friends through this group. We have wine tastings, and adoption events to raise money. Check out our website...it's www.goldenretrieverfreedom.org

Or for other animal rescue's just google it. It's a good way to get started with rescues and learn the ropes!