Pets and Domestic Violence: Colorado's Growing Network of Pet-Friendly Shelters
By Attorney Charles E. Liken Jr., former Colorado Deputy District Attorney. Survivors shouldn't have to choose between safety and a pet. A national movement — and several Colorado shelters — now make sure they don't.
Charles E. Liken Jr., Esq. — On the Legal Front Lines · Former Government Investigator, Denver Human Services · Licensed Colorado Attorney · 20+ Years in Private Practice · Former Colorado Deputy District Attorney · Colorado Court-Appointed Child and Family Investigator
Abusers often use pets as leverage, and a large share of survivors delay leaving because they won't abandon an animal. For years, most domestic-violence shelters simply couldn't take pets. That's changing — in Colorado and nationally.
Boulder's SPAN opened an on-site pet-friendly shelter in 2024. Fort Collins' Crossroads Safehouse partners with NOCO Humane for free temporary boarding. Denver Animal Protection runs a temporary pet-housing program specifically for people fleeing violence. National programs like RedRover and the Animal Welfare Institute's Safe Havens directory fund and map these options.
Colorado law also lets a protection order cover pets. We've compiled the verified, pet-friendly Colorado programs — plus the always-current national directories and hotlines — in our pet-friendly shelter guide. No one should have to leave family behind, and that includes the four-legged kind.
Ready when you are — talk it through with Attorney Liken.
Start here: a no-charge 20-minute phone call directly with Attorney Liken.
Read the law. Then make it work for you.
A no-charge 20-minute call with Attorney Liken turns information into a plan.