Open Monday through Friday 8 AM-5 PM By Appointment
Saturday and Sunday 8 AM-1 PM
569 County Road 265 Rifle, Colorado
970-625-8808
Help us win $1000! Vote for Friends of the Rifle Animal Shelter during the Animal Rescue Site Challenge from January 18th to April 18th. We've been close to winning the state of Colorado before. This time we can do it with your help!!! Bookmark this link and vote daily!!! VOTE!
Friends of the Rifle Animal Shelter is a non-profit volunteer group dedicated to caring for homeless animals in our area. We spay/neuter, vaccinate, provide medical care and offer a safe, nurturing environment until a permanent home is found. We pay for medical bills for the Rifle Animal Shelter and for animals in our community.
In 2008 we made a new goal to build a private, non-profit shelter to care for the western Garfield County animals. Please see our website at www.rifleanimalshelter.com for more information on Murphy's Ranch Animal Haven! Please purchase our own special blend of Bristlecone Coffee to help us break ground on the new shelter. Coffee can be purchased at the shelter, at Downtown Drug in Glenwood, at Jimmy's Phillips 66 in Glenwood or online here.
Jimmy's 66 in Glenwood also donates 5 cents for every gallon of gas purchased with cash on Wednesdays to the construction of Murphy's Ranch. Big O Tires in Glenwood also donates a percentage of your purchase to the shelter if you contact us ahead of time and take in a card. We can mail you the card if you do not live in Rifle. It's an easy way to help and every little bit makes a difference!
We have already seen a drastic increase in the number of homeless pets in the Rifle area this year. Our surrender numbers are way up due to people moving and not being able to take their pets. We hope our donation levels and volunteers will keep up with the increased numbers.
We love additional volunteers and so do the animals!!! Any level of support or donation is greatly appreciated!
Volunteer Opportunities
The shelter staff consists of one full time person and half time person. We need help! Check out the list below and call us at 970-625-8808 to set up an orientation appointment. Thank you!!!!!!
Dog Walkers! Getting at least one daily walk is the most important thing we can do for our dogs! Volunteer dog walkers need to be familiar with dog behavior and willing to walk a dog for at least 20 minutes. We have a variety of halters and leaders that make walking most dogs very easy. This job can be done during anytime of the day and multiple times a day. We can usually find two dogs that can be walked together. Volunteering with a friend can make this job fun.
Kennel Cleaners! This job is also very important. We clean each dog's night time kennel every morning and set it up for them so it is ready for them to sleep in at night. We use a rotation of cleaning products to insure the shelter is as clean as we can get it. This job will take some training and you have to be willing to ask questions when something doesn't make sense. It's not difficult, but this job needs to be done correctly. An improperly cleaned kennel can be dangerous in a shelter situation. This job takes about an hour in the mornings between 8:00 and 9:00 and we need help with it every day.
Cat Room Cleaners! We love our cats and try very hard to make their stay with us as comfortable as it can be. We have a small cat room and usually have only a few cats except during kitten season. This job includes cleaning litter boxes, changing water and feeding the cats as well as tidying up their kennels and moping the floor daily. This job also requires some training and someone who is willing to ask questions and do the job correctly. This job can take between 30 minutes and an hour and needs to be started around 8:00 in the morning.
Yard Cleaners! This job involves going from outside yard to outside yard cleaning up after the dogs and changing their water. A knowledge of dog behavior is a must for this job. This is a great job because you get to spend all the time you want with the dogs. It's always fun to play ball with them and hang out with them during this time. This is a daily job and can be done anytime of the day. More than one person can do this job and it can be done at least twice a day.
Flyer Posters! This job requires someone with email, a color printer and the willingness to post weekly fliers of adoptable pets and possible upcoming events around where you live and work. The more our pets are seen, the better the chance they have of getting adopted! This is an important position and we need some big time help with it. We need several people up and down the valley who are willing to do this. This job could be as big or as small as you want to make it. You could do a route and post several fliers or print off one and take it to work or post it on your work email. Anything helps!
Donation Collector! This job involves going to Walmart bi-weekly and getting the broken package food and pet supplies. It requires someone who can lift several large bags of food and cat litter. A roomy car is also helpful. This job can be done about any time of the day and any day of the week, but needs to be coordinated with Walmart. We call and talk to the claims department and they put the food out back for us to come load it up.
Vet Appointment Runners! This job involves picking up dogs and cats from the shelter and taking them to and from the vet. The current vets we use are Valley Vet in Rifle, Town and Country in Rifle and Divide Creek Animal Hospital in Silt. The people willing to do this job must have a car and be willing to have a variety of pets in it. They must be organized and have very good people and communication skills. They must be able to communicate with the medical staff at the vet and communicate any medication needs or vet instructions to the shelter staff accurately. We have two shifts of spay and neuter appointments. One starts at 8:00 in Silt and another starts at 9:00 in Rifle. The spay/neuter pets need to be picked up in the afternoon usually the same day. Most appointments are Tuesday-Friday. Vet appointments for vaccines can be any time of the day. Even help with dropping off or picking up would be appreciated. Vet appointments take us away from the shelter and we miss people calling and stopping by. It costs getting pets homes and we hate missing these opportunities! Help with vet appointments would help us tremendously!
Cat Trappers! This job needs someone with good people skills who can work independently. The people who volunteer for this job must have time and be willing to set and check traps for cats frequently and get them to and from their vet appointments. The ability to foster and tame kittens would be a plus. This person must also be able to work with property owners and educate people on the importance of spaying and neutering without making anyone angry. This is a job for the very committed and is one of the most rewarding volunteer jobs there is! It makes a HUGE difference to the cats in our community.
Foster Homes for Cats! We have so many kittens sometimes and there flat out is not room at the shelter for them. We have many great kitten foster homes and can always use more. Most of our cat program is foster home/volunteer based. Like the dog foster home volunteers, cat foster homes have to be willing to help find the cats homes. Posting flyers, maybe paying for a newspaper ad, telling your friends..etc. You have to be willing to help find homes for them. Some kittens need to be bottle fed, some kittens need to be tamed, others just need someone who loves them. When kittens are around 8 weeks old, we can start the spay and neuter process and get them into their forever homes. Foster homes that can keep kittens to this point are needed. Some people can only foster one kitten and others can foster an entire litter and the mother. Please let us know what you can do and we will match you up with a foster. This is a very rewarding and fun job! Kittens rule!
Foster Homes for Dogs! We try not to place dogs in foster care unless they do not do well at the shelter or they need extra attention due to medical problems or their age. We try and keep all adoptable dogs at the shelter so they have a better chance at getting a home when someone just drops by to look. Anyone willing to foster an animal must also be willing to help find it a home. It's very important that the foster parents are willing to post fliers, maybe pay for an ad in the newspaper, take the dog to adoption events or even to the dog park or Petco with an "Adopt Me" vest on it. Some dogs are not in foster care very long and others are in foster care for months. We never know how long it will be and that's whey it's crucial that the foster parents also diligently look for a home for the dog. Foster parents will also need to be able to bring the dog to the shelter to meet potential adopters or be willing to meet people at another location. This is a tough job and we really appreciate the people who do it!
People with Web Pages! We would love it if you could help us show off our adoptable pets! Please use these links and it will walk you through how to add a pet list scroller or featured pet to your website. The more we can get our pets seen, the sooner they will find great homes! There is a sample of how the pet list scroller looks at the bottom of this page and the featured pet is at the top of our page. It just takes a minute and it has the potential to make a huge difference! Our shelter ID is CO48. Thank you!
Help at Events! Please contact Heather at 970-625-8808 if you are interested in helping with special events.
Upcoming Events
Watch for our next big fundraiser in April! More news to come soon!
Buy a pet bed! One of our year round fund raisers is making and selling dog and cat beds. Mona Koper is currently heading up this fund raiser and would love to have donations and help from anyone who enjoys sewing. She needs donations of cotton fabrics, flannels and denims of a yard or more. She also needs old blankets, comforters or mattress pads to use as the stuffing for the beds. The beds are currently sold at Town and Country Veterinary Hospital and range in price from $10-$20. Mona will make them out of custom fabrics by request. Please call her at 970-876-2717 if you have items to donate, would like to help or want to order a bed. People love them and she gets many repeat customers.
ID Your Pet! We all buy our pets toys and treats, but how about something they really need? Buy them a pet ID tag and and get them micro chipped! We are happy to now offer pet ID tags and micro chips. We have a variety of high quality, stainless steel dog and cat ID tags available for $9 each. We can also microchip any pet for $20. Please put tags and chips on your pets! Don't take a chance on losing your pet!
Our Wish List
Donations to build Murphy's Ranch Animal Haven.
canned dog and cat food (Pedigree for dogs)
canned kitten food and puppy food! We use the Iam's kitten food and the Pedigree puppy food. Thank you!
dry kitten food and cat food. We usually get enough broken package and dry dog food donations, but are often short on dry kitten food and cat food. We try and help keep the feral cat population fed in Rifle with any extra cat food we have.
peanut butter to put in dog toys as treats and also to hide pills in. We ALWAYS need peanut butter!
rawhides, pig ears, or cow ears are always needed
Milk Bone type dog treats-small size works best
cat litter-the regular clay kind. WE REALLY NEED THIS !!!!
cat beds, gently used or new
collars and leashes, new or used
Snugglesafe microwavable pet bed warmers. These cost about $30 each and we use them for our little kittens. We need 2 or 3 of them. Please call for shipping information. Thank you! Donate a kitten bed warmer
stuffed toys-kittens love to sleep with them and dogs love to play with them
sturdy dog toys
cat toys-they like little balls and mice usually
plastic water troughs to use as deeper pools for the dogs to cool off, gently used or new
plastic buckets- The kind that cost $1.19 or so from Walmart or the Dollar Store to use as water buckets for outside.
1 yard or more of cotton fabrics, denims or flannels to make fund raiser dog and cat beds out of. We also need old blankets, quilts and comforters to use to make beds. Call Mona at 970-876-2717 if you have items to donate. The beds are currently sold at Town and Country Veterinary Hospital in Rifle for $10-$20. Mona would love to have help making them if you enjoy sewing. Call her!
Gently used or new candy tins and wicker baskets for the Candy Cane Lane Craft Fair coming up in the fall. We use the tins for the bake sale portion and make gift baskets with the wicker baskets
HP color cartridge number 57 for our donated printer. This printer is really making a difference!
Thank you!
Adopting a friend
Thank you for making the decision to adopt a pet! You are doing the right thing! Before you make the final decision to adopt a pet, please really think about the commitment you are making. Keep in mind the current economic situation and make sure you will always be able to take good care of the pet and live where you can have pets. We have had a record number of animals surrendered to us because of people having to move out of state or to places where pets are not allowed. It isn't fair to the pet to shuffle it around and re-home it again. Some of our pets have already had many homes and all of them deserve to have a forever home once they leave our doors. Please really think before you make the decision to get a pet. It's a big commitment!
We have so many wonderful companions just waiting for the perfect home. Keeping the animals in our care safe and comfortable is our primary goal. With this in mind, we choose not to adopt an animal without a personal meeting. Adoptions require a meeting with one of our staff members or volunteers and an interview/questionnaire process. In most cases, references will be checked. Current donation fees are $50 per dog or $30 per cat. All adoptable dogs are spayed or neutered and are current on their vaccinations. We've had so many beautiful cats and kittens in our care this year! If you choose to adopt one of our kitties, the donation fee is just $30, or take a pair for $50! Our cats are current on vaccines, FeLV negative and spayed/neutered. What a wonderful opportunity to bring a new kitty into your family! We can micro-chip dogs or cats for an additional $20. The City of Rifle Adoption fees are very reasonable. Please consider donating on top of your adoption fee. All our medical bills are paid by donations and fund raising that the Friends of the Rifle Animal Shelter does. An extra $10 or $20 would be greatly appreciated.
Remember to support the Colorado Pet Overpopulation Fund on your Tax Return.
Come Visit Us!
We are open from 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays (no appointment necessary) and Monday -Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Call to make an appointment to come by during the week. We want to make sure we are here when you come. We are often busy shuttling dogs and cats to and from the vet and working in the city offices. We are not always available for drop in visitors like we wish we were. Please call us and tell us you are coming if at all possible so we can schedule around your visit. Our phone number is 970-625-8808.
Our facility is located just across the street from the Rifle High School on Prefontaine Avenue in Rifle, Colorado. Rifle is on the western slope of Colorado between Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction. There are shorter ways to get to the shelter, but this is the easiest way if you don't know Rifle. If you are coming into Rifle from Interstate 70, take the 90 exit and drive north into town. You will be on Railroad Avenue. Stay on Railroad most of the way through town. You will pass City Market and will see a Wells Fargo Bank and Jean's Printing where 16th Street crosses Railroad Avenue. Turn left on 16th Street and follow that road up a hill and around. You will see the bus barn for Rifle High School. We are on the right side of the road right after you see the buses and the football bleechers. We have signs out front and you will see lots of chain link fencing.
Please call and make sure someone will be here. We are almost always here during the mornings on weekdays and most afternoons especially if someone calls and says they are coming. No appointment necessary Saturdays and Sundays from 8-1. We always appreciate someone letting us know they are coming to look if at all possible. It's always a bright spot in our day when someone calls about a dog or a cat!
Map to our shelter
Friends of the Rifle Animal Shelter P.O. Box 1375
Rifle, CO 81650
Phone: 970-625-8808
Contact: Heather Mullen, Shelter Director
Email: rifleanimalshelter@yahoo.com Email does not get checked on the weekends! Please call!
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/rifleanimalshelter Facebook: search for RifleAnimal Shelter (RifleAnimal -one word) We would love to have more friends on our MySpace or Facebook pages.
