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
Open July 2nd from 8-12, Open July 3rd from 8-10ish, Open July 4th 8-1, Open July 5th 8-1, Closed Monday July 6th
Help us win up to $20,000 during The Animal Rescue Site Challenge! Vote for us once a day every day during the contest between April 13th-July 26th. We really have shot at winning with your help! Use this link to vote every day!!! We have slipped to 4th in the state and need to get back on top by July 26th. KEEP VOTING! Thank you!!! Vote Daily for the Friends of the Rifle Animal Shelter in Rifle, Colorado!
Saturday, July 11th 9:00AM Dog Training Session with Jennifer Shepherd from Pride Rock Kennels at the shelter. Volunteer to work with a shelter dog or bring your own dog! Space is limited to 15 dogs. Call Heather at 970-625-8808 to reserve your spot!
Pictures from Sweetie Pie's Rifle Animal Shelter MySpace
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Who We Are
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. We raised and spent $50,000 on the care of our community's animals in 2008.
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!
Donations 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! We currently have two main fund raising events. A wine tasting event in October and a craft fair in November. We also do a vaccination clinic in the spring and do various adoption events and other fund raisers when opportunities arise.
We collect silent auction items and donations for the wine tasting event. Help setting up for the event and advertising the event is also needed.
We need donated crafts and baked goods for the craft fair. The more we have to sell, the more money we make. Mona is in charge of this event and would gladly talk to you about what you can do to help. Call us at 970-625-8808 and we will put you in contact with her. We often need extra sets of hands at adoption events and the vaccination clinic. People who are good with dogs and willing to put in a full day of help are needed at these events.
Upcoming Events
Saturday, July 11th 9:00AM Dog Training Session with Jennifer Shepherd from Pride Rock Kennels at the shelter. Volunteer to work with a shelter dog or bring your own dog! Space is limited to 15 dogs. Call Heather at 970-625-8808 to reserve your spot!
Saturday, July 18th Garfield County Vaccination and Licensing Clinic at Divide Creek Animal Hospital in Silt Garfield County will be working with Divide Creek Animal Hospital to vaccinate, license and micro chip dogs/cats. Don't miss out on this opportunity to get your pets' vaccinations current! Call Divide Creek at Animal Hospital at 970-876-5354 for more information.
Saturday, August 1st Our Baskets are Overflowing with Kittens Adoption Event! The Friends of the Rifle Animal Shelter will be at the shelter adopting and showcasing our kittens! The selection will be very impressive and the cuteness will be incredible. Kittens rule!
August 29 Saturday Adoption Event in Glenwood at Petco
Saturday, Septemeber 26th Strut Your Mutt Dog Walk at Deerfield Park. Pet related businesses and services will be showcased and there will be a fund raising dog walk. We anticipate it being very big. Please contact Heater at 970-625-8808 for more information or if you would like to participate.
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 pay for medical bills. All our medical bills are paid by donations. The Friends of the Rifle Animal Shelter raises money year round to cover medical costs for all the dogs and cats in our care.
volunteers to walk dogs
volunteers to help clean and get going in the mornings..a couple hours once a week would do wonders for us!
people with web pages willing to put a pet list scroller or featured pet on their website. See the above for instructions.
help at upcoming events. We are trying to do more adoption events. Call 970-625-8808 for more information and to volunteer. Click to see our events!
canned dog and cat food
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 used to always need this, but now Walmart has started donating their broken packages. Please call and ask, but we think we are going to be good on cat litter from now on.
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- tennis balls are always appreciated
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
Pads to go with our Kuranda dog beds. We need one of the 44 X 47 size. We are currently good on the other sizes. Any donation would be used and appreciated! Please use this link and select Rifle Animal Shelter or donate a bed pad at kuranda.com under Colorado and then Rifle Animal Shelter. Thank you! Donate a bed pad
small fridge to go in the cat room to keep cat medication and cat food in. A bar size or college dorm room size would be perfect!
HP color cartridge number 57 for our donated printer. This printer is really making a difference!
Thank you!
A HUGE thank you to Sharon owner of Creature Comforts in Rifle for your donation! We are overwhelmed by your generosity! Thank you!
Thank you Cindy and family for your memorial donation! Grandpa loved animals and would be happy knowing he helped take care of some kittens.
Thank you PetSmart of Grand Junction for your donations! We REALLY needed the kitten food!
Thank you Blue Ribbon 4H Club for washing the dogs! They look great!!!
Thank you to EVERY ONE who helped and donated to the Spayghetti and No Balls Dinner! It couldn't have happened without you! Thank you!!!
Thank you Janice for your generous donation! We will put it towards our medical bills! Thank you!
Thank you Darlwin and Linda at Dars Divers for your generous donations! We will use it to spay/neuter and vaccinate homeless pets! Thank you!
Thank you Donnie and Malinda for your generous donations! We will use it to spay/neuter and vaccinate some of the many kittens we have. Thank you!
Thank you Davis family for your continual donations and support. You bring us items we need from our wish list and donate to us often. We appreciate your continual support!!
Thank you Tara at Valley Vet for making such beautiful cards and making a donation to us! You and the rest Vet staff come through for us everyday and now you are fund raising for us! THANK YOU!!!!
Thank you Alpine Flowers for your donation of flowers for the shelter!
Thank you Antlers Vet for the donation of leashes and toys! They will come in handy!
Thank you Buckskin Hotel for your donation of comforters! We will use them to make dog beds!
Thank you Glenwood Caverns for selling our crafted items! We appreciate your willingness to help! What difference you are making to our animals!
Thank you Brownie Troop 3543 for visiting the dogs and cats! Thank you for all the bedding, toys and food! What a thoughtful group of young ladies! Thank you!
A HUGE thank you to the Nanette and the Central Loans Department at Alpine Bank in Rifle!!!!!! We are overjoyed with your generosity! Thank you for all the food, toys, beds, collars, leashes, peanut butter...and the list goes on and on! Thank you also for the freezer and the printer. The new freezer will allow us to make night time dog treats and keep special diet food on hand. The color printer will make a world of difference to what we can do for shelter flyers!! Thank you also for your generous donation. We will put it towards our medical bills! Thank you!!!
Thank you Fred's Hardware for your continual donations of high quality food! The cats and dogs are living well because of you! Thank you!
Thank you Cynthia at Curves in Rifle for once again hosting a month long donation drive!!! Your continual generosity is much appreciated! The animals get some much needed items thanks to you!!
Thank you Rusty Cannon Motel, Napa Auto Parts, Rifle Lock and Safe and Secure Storage for placing change donation tubs in your businesses! We appreciate your willingness to help us fund raise!
Thank you Terena owner of Canine Country School for working with our dogs. You always save room for a shelter dog in need. The help you give to our dogs is invaluable! You make a difference! Thank you!
Thank you Margie and Pete from Down Town Drug in Glenwood for your continual support and fund raising! You guys are always willing to help and have done a great deal for our animals! We appreciate your dedication!
Thank you Jean's Printing! You have been a long time supporter of us and helped us with so many projects. Thank you so much for helping us with our printing needs! You have donated a lot of time and materials to us over the years and it hasn't gone unnoticed!
Thank you Creekbend Bistro! You are always willing to help us promote our pets! Thank you for putting our featured pet signs on your tables! We appreciate your continual support!
Thank you Mancanelli's for helping us promote our pets in your restaurant! We appreciate you putting featured pet signs on your tables and sending out fliers with your deliveries! Thank you!
Thank you High Tails in Glenwood for you continual donation of high quality food! You are always willing to post our flyers and help our pets find great homes! Thank you for your help!
Thank you RJ Paddywacks in El Jebel for your continual donation of high quality food! We appreciate your consistent donations and support!
Thank you Susan at WalMart for donating all your broken package cat and dog products! We truly appreciate all you give us and your phone calls when you have donations ready to go!
Thank you Petco in the Meadows for helping us adopt kittens at your store and have adoption events! You have helped us place many pets in great homes! Thank you also for your donations of food. We appreciate it!
Thank you to Jan at the Glenwood Post Independent and to Bonnie at the Rifle Citizen Telegram for placing free ads in your newspapers! You have helped us find many pets wonderful homes and we appreciate your ongoing support for all the local shelters! We have also noticed an increased emphasis on animal related news and we like it!
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: hmullen@rifleco.org 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.
