A New Way to Help Homeless Animals in Colorado

The Adopt a Shelter Pet license plate is now available at your local Division of Motor Vehicles!  Each time a Coloradan purchases a new Adopt a Shelter Pet license plate, $30 will go to the Colorado Pet Overpopulation Fund, and each annual renewal of the plate generates $23 for the Fund. This money will be used to provide grants for spay/neuter surgeries and medical care for animals in Colorado shelters and rescues where the need is the greatest. The plates will also help raise awareness of the need to save lives by adopting pets from shelters and rescues.

On June 9, 2010, Governor Bill Ritter signed into law House Bill 10-1214, sponsored by Senator Gail Schwartz and Representative Beth McCann. The Adopt a Shelter Pet license plate, created by this legislation, establishes a new funding source to help Colorado shelters and rescues offset costs for spay and neuter surgeries and for medical treatment for animals in their care.

“Coloradans have generously given to the Pet Overpopulation Tax Check-off to support shelters throughout the state,” Sen. Schwartz said. “To additionally fund these important efforts, we now have an Adopt a Shelter Pet license plate. Pets enrich our lives and our families, but every day in Colorado thousands of animals are in shelters, waiting for a family to take them home. This new license plate will raise awareness of the availability of homeless pets and fund the effort to place these pets in loving homes and reduce animal overpopulation.”

Grant application guidelines for license plates funds will be posted on www.coloradopetfund.org by February 15. You may also call the Colorado Pet Overpopulation Fund at 303.722.6435 for more information.