Right now, animal shelters across Colorado are in crisis. Overwhelmed with surrendered pets and stretched far beyond capacity, many shelters are being forced to make heartbreaking decisions—turning animals away, housing them in unsafe conditions, or considering euthanasia due to lack of space and resources.

Behind this surge is a painful truth: thousands of Colorado families are giving up beloved pets because they can no longer afford to care for them. Rising rent, food prices, and vet bills—fueled by ongoing inflation—are pushing people to make impossible choices. Our shelters are bearing the burden, and they need help now.

This isn’t just an animal issue—it’s a human one too. Pets are family. Losing them adds trauma to already vulnerable families. And forcing shelters to operate without adequate resources endangers the very animals they’re meant to protect.

We are calling on Colorado’s state leaders and local governments to release emergency funding and allocate additional resources to animal shelters immediately. This funding should be used to expand shelter capacity, provide veterinary care, and support pet retention programs that help struggling families keep their animals at home—where they belong.

No family should have to surrender a pet because they can’t afford food or vet care. And no shelter should have to choose which animals live or die due to lack of space. This crisis is solvable if we act now.

Please sign this petition to demand urgent action from Colorado lawmakers. Our shelters can’t wait. The animals—and the families who love them—need our support today.