Tell Me About CPR.
A Letter From Our Director of Operations: A lot has changed since our first adoption event on Oct. 22, 2005. A whopping three puppies had been adopted. We set up outside Church Ranch Vet Wellness Center in Westminster. It's a long way to go since we live in Aurora and had to shuttle ourselves, playpens and puppies all the way up there. There were three directors and about 10 foster homes when we started. The only volunteers were family members bribed with food.
Now, four years later, we still have three directors, but we also have a volunteer coordinator and a foster coordinator. We have over 50 foster families and over 60 active volunteers. Colorado Puppy Rescue averages 100 puppies per month and we have set up inside Petco at Colorado Blvd and I-25. It's a lot closer to home and we get to keep all of our crates and pens there.
I am very proud of all that we have accomplished over the last four years. Thank you very much to our adopters, volunteers and fosters; without whom this would never have been possible. Since the beginning our CPR community has helped to rescue and find homes for over 4000 puppies. We value our volunteers and adopters tremendously; we could not run the rescue without them! Thank you for considering Colorado Puppy Rescue and for helping those who cannot help themselves!
Where does CPR get these puppies?
From rural shelters & rescuers who do not have enough
funding or population to adopt their puppies. These
puppies may have been turned into the shelters by the
owners or simply been left on the side of the road and
picked up by shelter workers. Some come with stories
but most do not. Most of these puppies would have
been destroyed where they came from. Shelters in
rural areas can not handle large numbers of puppies.
They may not have the funding, the facilities, the
personnel or the population to adopt; so puppies in
these shelters are euthanized. The shelters contact us
when a rescue is needed and our driver will pick up
the puppies. Because we pick up our puppies from
shelters and rescues we do not usually see the puppies
parents.
How Do I Adopt A CPR Puppy?
Attend an Adoption Event: To adopt a puppy from the Puppy Rescue you will need to make a personal visit to our adoption event. Puppies are only available for viewing and adoption at Adoption Events because we are a shelterless rescue and our puppies stay at foster homes during the week.
Sign up on our List: We are first come/ first serve. We keep a sign in list to ensure that the first family in line is let in to see the puppies first.Being first on the list means that you are first to choose a puppy to meet with. As many as five families can be meeting puppies at a time. The list is available for sign up on the day of the adoption event. Our list is kept at Petco and the Petco Staff manages the list until CPR arrives one hour before the event. Some breeds are very popular so arrive early if you see the perfect puppy for your home.
Choosing your Puppy: Before you enter our event we require everyone to use hand sanitizer. This provides an illness barrier for our puppies. We want you and your puppy to get to know each other. You will have an opportunity to play and cuddle with your new puppy in our play areas. An Adoption Counselor will help you decide if this is the puppy for you. Adoption Counselors are also available to answer any questions you may have on dog ownership or our adoption process. When you choose to adopt your puppy we will ask you to fill out an adoption application so that we can ensure that our pups are going to loving, forever homes.
Adopting your Puppy: After you have filled out your adoption application and other paperwork, we will give you an Adoption Contract. This is a legal and binding contract. A CPR Director will lead an adoption session. Our adoption session covers:
- which shelter your puppy came from.
- vaccination information for your puppy.
- information specific to CPR puppie.s
- our contract, what CPR expects from you and what you can expect from CPR.
- information about puppy behavior/ health and what to expect from your puppy.
- our vet information list.
- a list of Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Clinics.
- our adopter going home bags.
Going Home with your puppy: After you attend the adoption session and pay the adoption fee you will get a copy of your contract, our Vet Information list, an Adopter's going home bag and of course, your puppy.
Our process can take some time. Please plan for it to take at least an hour after your name is called from the list.
What are your Adoption Event Policies?
- Puppies are only available for viewing and adoption at adoption events.
- We are first come first serve.
- Adopters must be 18 years old or older.
- No one is allowed to stick hands or fingers into the puppy crates or puppy mouths.
- Families can play with one puppy at a time.
- There is a 15 minute time limit in the play areas.
- There must be an adult in the play area with puppies at all times.
- We do not hold puppies for any reason.
- We do not negotiate adoption fees.
- We will not adopt to third parties.
- We will not adopt puppies that seem ill.
- Adopters must agree to spay or neuter their puppy before adopting.
- Adopters must attend an adoption session.
- We accept cash, Visa and Mastercard. We do not accept checks.
What is the standard adoption fee?
In order to continue to rescue puppies we request an adoption fee.
Average adoption fees generally range from $100 - $150. This does not include the State Required spay/neuter deposit. To find out more about the state required spay/neuter deposit please visit our Spay/Neuter Page.
"Shelters and rescuers currently spend between $250 to $400 preparing each dog they place for adoption, from costs of intake, to the costs of advertising, and including the costs of boarding the dogs until they find homes. Adoption fees are typically set at about half the actual cost of facilitating the adoption, in order for shelters to compete successfully against pet stores and puppy mills, but with small dogs, who are almost always in high demand, the adoption fee may be set at full cost."- Animal People, January/Febuary Issue, Editor's Note.
What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept Cash, Visa and Mastercard. We do not accept checks.
Have these puppies had shots?
Yes. All puppies have current vaccinations, deworming and kennel cough vaccine.
Have these puppies been checked by a vet?
Not all puppies. Many puppies come from shelters with vets on staff that examine & vaccinate them before transfer. While CPR has vet techs on staff and as volunteers it is not the same thing as having your puppy checked by a vet. Our adopters are encouraged to ask their vet for a free wellness check up. Colorado Puppy Rescue would never knowingly adopt an ill puppy, but just incase an illness clause is included in our adoption contract.
Can I bring my dog to meet the new puppy?
Absolutely. We may ask you to leave your dog in the car until you find your new puppy in order to cut down on distractions for our puppies. Make sure that your dog is current on all vaccines. We want CPR puppies and your dog to stay as healthy as possible.
How do you know what breeds the puppies are?
On rare occasions our driver will see the mother or a picture of the mother however; in most situations at CPR (like other rescues and shelters) the breeds and ages are our best guess based on coat, color, teeth, tail, size and feet. We use years of experience, books and the opinions of volunteers to help us. Sometimes we just get it wrong and sometimes the puppies' looks can change as they grow. See our "Before and After" photos.
What if I don’t see the puppy I want?
Colorado Puppy Rescue receives new arrivals every week. View our web site at www.coloradopuppy.org for updates. These are always current. Also try looking your your new puppy on www.petfinder.com and www.adoptapet.com. You can type in the breed you're looking for and they will find shelters and rescues near you that has the type of pet that fits your needs.
Do you ever get small breed puppies?
We rarely get small sized puppies into our rescue because they are in higher demand so shelters and private owners can adopt/sell them on their own. When we do get a small breed puppy we will list it on our Puppy page.
What happens if a puppy is not adopted?
They are cared for by CPR fosters until they are adopted.
What if I adopt a puppy that doesn’t work out?
You may return your puppy during the first week for a refund of your adoption fee. We want you to keep in mind that the puppy needs time to adjust to you and your home. For this reason will will not offer a refund for the first three days after adoption. Of course, puppies adopted at CPR can always be returned to us. Return policies will be reviewed with you at time of adoption.
What are CPR’s hours? Location?
Colorado Puppy Rescue is a shelterless rescue and is pleased to be
hosted at the Petco at Colorado Blvd and I-25. Usual adoption events are held on Saturdays from 11am-2pm.
I saw a puppy listed earlier this week but it's gone now. Was it adopted Mid-week?
As soon as a puppy becomes unavailable we try to take them off of the website so that we do not mislead our adopters. Our adopters sometimes arrive as early as 9:00 to get the puppy they want. We know that they would be very upset if they spent all that time waiting for a puppy that wasn't going to be there that day. Puppies become unavailable for many different reasons. If a foster home reports that a puppy may be sick or injured; we will hold it for another week to make sure that it gets better. We would never knowingly adopt an ill puppy. Sometimes a puppy is not as socialized as we would like and we choose to hold it for more training. Other times the foster family may choose to adopt the puppy. A benefit to fostering is that they get the first choice. While we still do not adopt the puppy to them until Saturday, I will remove the puppy from the website. There are also other obscure, less common reasons.
It's good to know that people watch our website so closely. We work very hard to make sure that it contains only the most current information. We like knowing that it's not going unnoticed.
Information Regarding the Breed Bans and Colorado Puppy Rescue
Colorado Puppy Rescue's home office is located in Aurora, CO.
On October 24, 2005, The Aurora City Council passed an ordinance (View Ordinance)
prohibiting the following breeds of dogs and/or any dog exhibiting distinguishing
characteristics that substantially conform to the standards for any of these breeds:
We are no longer able to accept the above breeds into our rescue.
