Dumb Friends League -- Buddy Center

The Dumb Friends League is the largest community-based animal sheltering organization in the Rocky Mountain region. We are a leader in providing shelter and humane care to companion animals and horses; rescuing sick, injured, abused and neglected animals; adopting pets and horses to new homes; offering training and advice to help pets stay in homes; reducing pet overpopulation; and educating the public about animals and their needs.

When our organization was founded in 1910, it was named after a London, England, animal shelter called Our Dumb Friends League. In those days, the term “dumb” was widely used to refer to animals, because “they lacked the power of human speech.”

The mission statement of the Dumb Friends League includes these words: “speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves,” meaning our animal friends.

Each year, we welcome more than 24,000 homeless pets to our two shelters. At our main shelter in southeast Denver and our Buddy Center in Castle Rock, Colo., cats, dogs, rabbits and other small pets enjoy the comfort of a nurturing environment in state-of-the-art facilities. Our offsite adoption center at Denver’s Northfield Stapleton shopping center showcases adoptable cats and dogs in a storefront setting.

Our Dumb Friends League Harmony Equine Center™ near Franktown, Colorado., takes in abused and neglected horses, ponies, donkeys and mules that have been removed from their owners by law enforcement authorities. At the equine center, these animals find a safe haven, relief from suffering and opportunities for rehabilitation and adoption.

The Dumb Friends League is not affiliated with any national animal welfare groups.  We are a local, private, nonprofit organization that relies solely on donations from generous people like you.