Question 1

Who is Colorado Puppy Rescue?

Accepted Answer

Colorado Puppy Rescue (CPR) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, no-kill rescue dedicated to saving young puppies and their mothers. Licensed with PACFA since 2005, we have rescued and found homes for over 25,000 puppies. We provide love, safety, and healthcare for our puppies while searching for their forever families. We adopt exclusively from our center in Parker and work with trainers and veterinarians to ensure a great adoption experience. Our volunteers and adopters are vital to our mission. Thank you for supporting Colorado Puppy Rescue!

Question 2

What is your location?

Accepted Answer

We are located at 18741 Ponderosa Dr. Suite D, Parker, CO 80134. As a 100% foster-based rescue, our animals are only in the building during adoption events, which are the only way to meet and adopt your puppy.

Question 3

Where do you get your puppies?

Accepted Answer

Our puppies come from rural shelters & rescues in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, & Kansas. Northern Oklahoma Humane Society, Animal Services Center of The Mesilla Valley, Finney County Humane Society, and Walsenberg Animal Control are just a few of our rescue partners. Our partner rescues and shelters transfer puppies to CPR because shelters in rural areas often do not have the funding, the facilities, the personnel, or the population to adopt. Each of our partner rescues and shelters can explain their individual communities and challenges better than we can. This is a link to a letter from Cuba Animal Welfare.

Our partners contact us when our support is needed and our driver picks up the puppies. Because we pick up our puppies from shelters and rescues, we do not usually see the puppies' parents.

Our partner shelters and rescues often pick up young puppies dropped off on the side of the road, find them left in boxes in front of the shelter door or accept the puppies as relinquishment. Much of the time dog owners love their dog, they put money into keeping their dog healthy and trained, they just don’t want the puppies. Here is a link to a Facebook post from the Humane Society of Deaf Smith County for just such an instance.

Our partner, Stray Hearts Animal Shelter in Taos, NM has a program called Last Litter. People with puppies can relinquish them to the shelter and then the shelter will spay the mama for free so that the dog and her owner will not have another litter of unwanted puppies. We have found homes for many puppies from the Last Litter program.

Sometimes shelters choose to separate mom and pups because of issues the mom is going through. Mom’s milk may have gone bad or Mom might hurt her puppies like in Tyson’s case, and the shelter doesn’t want to chance sending her with her pups.

The moms that come in with their puppies or give birth to pups while in our care stay in foster homes with their puppies until we have found homes for the pups, her milk dries up, and she is spayed. Then we start the process of finding her a home as well. Our moms stay in our care for several weeks after their pups find homes. We almost always have at least one adult dog in our foster system.

Whatever the case might be, rest assured that this is a joint effort and everyone involved in the rescue process wants mom and puppies to have the best life possible. That’s why we all do this.

Question 4

How can I foster puppies for you?

Accepted Answer

Fostering is a great way to have a temporary or trial puppy. It's perfect for seniors, working/traveling adults, and families deciding if a puppy is the right pet for their family.
Foster families usually pick up puppies on Wednesday evenings and care for them for a minimum of three nights, but there are longer-term opportunities, too.

Perks of fostering with us:
We provide you with everything necessary to care for our puppies: like a crate, food, toys, and healthcare.
The best perk of all when fostering with us is that if you become really attached to a puppy while taking care of it, you can adopt the pup, as long as you follow the protocols we have in place.

​​Before you start fostering your first puppy, you'll need to attend an orientation and have your home checked.

Learn more here.

Question 5

How do you know what breeds the puppies are?

Accepted Answer

Short answer: We don't know what breeds they are

Long answer: Our puppies are considered mutts. Mixed Mutts are dogs that are descended from many generations of mixes. They are typically light brown or black and weigh about 40 lb. They typically stand between 15 and 23 inches tall at the withers. Many people enjoy owning mixed-breeds, valuing their unique appearance and characteristics. If you are looking for a pure bred puppy for your family, we are not the place for you. We rarely receive pure bred puppies because the puppies we get were not bred for profit. They were accidents. If you are looking for a pure bred puppy for your family, click HERE for a list of PACFA licensed Colorado breeders.

Sometimes we will have the mother or on rare occasions, our driver will see a picture of the mother. However, in most situations at CPR (like other rescues and shelters), the breeds and ages are 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.
 
For more information on Mixed Breeds click here.

Question 6

Do puppies get a vet check?

Accepted Answer

All of our puppies are given a full examination by our veterinarian prior to adoption. Our adopters are still encouraged to ask their vet if they offer a free wellness checkup. Colorado Puppy Rescue would never knowingly adopt an ill puppy, but an illness clause is included in our adoption contract.

Question 7

Have the puppies had shots?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All puppies receive current vaccinations, deworming, and a kennel cough vaccine. Most puppies over 12 weeks old have received their rabies vaccine. These vaccines are just the start. Dogs need vaccines throughout their lives. 
All animals are also microchipped prior to adoption.

Question 8

Are your puppies microchipped?

Accepted Answer

Yes, all animals are microchipped prior to adoption with AKC reunite which includes a lifetime registration.

Question 9

How do I adopt a puppy?

Accepted Answer

1. Complete the adoption application 
	- you should hear from us within 24 hours - an approved application stays on file for 6 months  (check your spam folder)

2. Sign up for an adoption event

3. Attend the event!  
	- Saturday events are from 9:30am-12pm 
	- Tuesday events are from 6pm-7pm 
	- always check the main page on our web site for the date of the next event.

We do occasionally take a week off and Tuesday events are only as-needed

For more information see our How To Adopt page

Question 10

What puppies are available for adoption?

Accepted Answer

Our available puppies page is updated in real time. You can click the following link to be redirected
www.coloradopuppy.org/available-puppies

Question 11

What is the adoption fee?

Accepted Answer

The adoption fee is $475. This includes up-to-date vaccines, a microchip, and spay/neuter. Check our Unexpected Expenses page to understand the potential costs associated with adopting a puppy.

Question 12

Can my dog meet the puppy?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. We may ask you to leave your dog with a friend outside until you find your new puppy; this helps to cut down on distractions for our puppies. Make sure that dog is current on all vaccines and not showing any signs of illness like diarrhea, coughing, or nasal discharge. We want Colorado Puppy Rescue puppies and your dog to stay as healthy as possible. 
Please note that this is a high sensory place for dogs - so if your dog does not do well with loud noises and groups of people we highly discourage you bringing your dog inside.

Question 13

What if I can't come to the adoption event?

Accepted Answer

We do not allow adoption outside of adoption events. There are some rare exceptions for adults only but that will be noted in the animals specific page.

We occasionally have adoption events during the week if we have more than 7 puppies available for adoption. Keep an eye on our web page on Saturday evenings to see if we will hold a mid-week adoption and which puppies will be there.

Question 14

What if a puppy doesn't find a home?

Accepted Answer

If a puppy doesn't find a home at our adoption event, they will return to their foster home until the next event.

Question 15

Can you hold my puppy after adoption?

Accepted Answer

No, due to our limited foster homes, we cannot hold puppies for anyone after they are adopted.

Question 16

What is your return policy?

Accepted Answer

You may return your puppy days 4-7 after adoption for a full refund. We want you to keep in mind that the puppy needs time to adjust to you and your home. For this reason, Colorado Puppy Rescue will not offer a refund for the first three days after adoption. 
Puppies adopted at Colorado Puppy Rescue can always be returned to us. Return policies will be reviewed with you at time of adoption.

Question 17

Do you have an illness clause?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! Puppies have immature immune systems. Any VOMITING OR COUGHING requires timely Veterinarian attention. 
Day 1 – 9: If a veterinarian determines this dog has an illness, (not accident or mishandling) return your pup with complete veterinarian treatment records, for a full refund. Re-adoption after recovery is an option.

Colorado Puppy Rescue’s mission is to save puppies and we partner with several veternarians that believe in our mission to get the best rates possible. For that reason we cannot pay your bills through your veterinarian, everything will need to go through our partner veterinarians.

Frequently Asked Questions