Telluride Humane Society

Rooted in the heart of Telluride, Colorado’s breathtaking mountains, the Telluride Humane Society is a passionate nonprofit dedicated to animal welfare and the deep connection between pets and people. Entirely foster-based, fully donation-funded, and volunteer-powered, we are compassion in motion.

We take an individualized approach to every rescue—meeting each animal where life went off course. No case is too complex, no animal too forgotten. We invest deeply in every life we touch, because every animal deserves a new beginning.

Relying solely on private donations, we do the critical, hands-on work no one else in our region does. Thanks to our supporters, we bring hope and healing where it’s needed most. What makes us unique is our service, both locally and throughout the state of Colorado.

WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE

The moment a pet comes into our program they are family: they live in our own private homes and are in personal care 24/7, quickly decompressing emotionally and physically, and receiving immediate and immense TLC. They take daily hikes on beautiful mountain trails and meet other dogs to socialize with in our pet friendly Town Park. We have no physical space or address; no kennels or shelter-like environment. The pet you adopt from us has already begun their healing journey before you meet them and take them home.

Through a fully foster based program, we have eyes and hands on each and every pet, customizing our care to each pet’s individual needs. Our program allows us to provide you with an elevated level of incredible detail as to what to expect with a pet’s daily behaviors and needs.

Our program has incredible agility in stark contrast to the rigid structure of a shelter environment. Essentially almost every shelter in America, let alone the most local shelters, will greet your call for help with the response: “We can put you on a waiting list.” We have a waitlist of adopters, not owner surrenders. This provides us the very quick agility to accept a pet into our program the same day we are contacted about it, if it meets our program’s guidelines.

We have a core mission to help homeless animals in need of critical medical care, where the medical care is essential to their quality of life AND, their chances of being re-homed. From shelters where they are already placed for adoptions, we have consistently pulled pets from shelters with painful broken legs at risk of amputation, paralyzed limbs, broken teeth and pets with severe eye issues that will not be relieved without surgery. This comes at a high cost. But we are a program that invests in amazing pets where their life has veered dramatically off course and the quality of their life is dependent solely on the compassion of a human hand like ours to intervene and change course for them.

We were founded in 2018 and are a 100% foster-based, 100% volunteer and 100% donation-based registered nonprofit 501(c)(3) animal welfare organization.

Our mission is based upon the fundamental principle that no animal should be mistreated nor lose its life for lack of proper resources for its care, need of a home, and/or rehabilitation. We are dedicated to the compassionate rescue, spay/neuter, foster, adoption, medical-care, education and community-oriented services for the pets and animals of San Miguel County, Colorado and its neighboring communities.

In a collaborative effort with a network of other nonprofit animal welfare organizations, along with local veterinarians, trainers, volunteer advocates, foster caregivers and assisting county government personnel, the Telluride Humane Society is able to provide rescue, care, new homes, and medical services to local animals every year. We also serve as a resource to our community by providing information on pet ownership which includes resources for spay/neuter, medical care and nutrition, micro-chipping and positive behavior training.