AAF Awards Collaborative Grant to Expand Veterinary Care Across Western Colorado
Three regional organizations partner to increase access to low-cost spay/neuter, vaccines, and veterinary staffing
The Animal Assistance Foundation has awarded an Innovation and Collaboration grant to a three-organization partnership working to expand affordable veterinary care across Western Colorado. Roice-Hurst Humane Society in Grand Junction, Journey Home Animal Care Center in Rifle, and Colorado Animal Rescue in Glenwood Springs are working to coordinate services, share veterinary staff and clinic space, and extend care to pet owners across a wide and underserved region.
The grant comes at a pivotal moment for animal welfare on the Western Slope. In early 2026, Animal Birth Control in Grand Junction closed, eliminating approximately 4,000 low-cost spay/neuter surgeries annually from the community. Town and Country Veterinary Clinic in Rifle, a fixture for more than 40 years, also closed this year. And in Meeker, residents lost access to a local veterinarian entirely. These closures have compounded existing barriers to care for pet owners across the region, many of whom already face rising costs and long travel distances to reach veterinary services. Housing costs have only increased the challenges of finding new veterinarians available to practice on the Western Slope and to aid the animal welfare agencies there.
The three grantees bring complementary strengths to the partnership:
Roice-Hurst Humane Society has utilized its portion of the funds to purchase necessary equipment for its newly built, state-of-the-art veterinary surgical suite. The suite will expand the number of shelter animals that can be spayed or neutered each day and includes a dedicated low-cost veterinary clinic designed to replace the spay/neuter capacity lost with the closure of Animal Birth Control. Utilizing the new clinic on campus will also allow RHHS to deploy its mobile unit (which was previously being used for shelter pet spay/neuter) into surrounding rural communities.
Journey Home Animal Care Center will use its funding to retain a second veterinarian and hire an additional veterinary technician, eventually expanding its public-facing clinic days from three to five per week.
Colorado Animal Rescue will use its grant funds to add two to four community veterinary clinic days per month in Glenwood Springs, with plans to begin offering low-cost spay/neuter surgeries. The shelter will also make use of the grant funds to pay for some relief veterinary services for shelter pets in need.
The organizations will actively share resources across the partnership. Journey Home's clinic will take appointments for Colorado Animal Rescue animals. Roice-Hurst's mobile unit will serve partner needs and transport animals for surgery. Veterinary personnel will work across facilities as needed. The result is a more connected system of care, one that maximizes each organization's capacity and ensures timely access for animals and families throughout the region.
AAF's Innovation and Collaboration grants support organizations demonstrating a commitment to shared solutions and regional coordination in advancing companion animal welfare across Colorado.