Mesa County
Animal Welfare Coalition
Animal Welfare is a community concern,
not an agency concern.
Open to all organizations dedicated to animal welfare in Mesa County, Colorado, this coalition has formed to help each of our organizations affect change for the pets and people of our community.
All shelters and rescues within Mesa County are welcome to join the coalition - we work to lift one another up, collaborate on projects, programming and initiatives, and encourage adoption/fostering of shelter pets in our community.
Shelters
Within Mesa County there are multiple animal control agencies - Mesa County Animal Services, City of Grand Junction Animal Control, and City of Fruita Animal Control. All agencies participate in the coalition, providing guidance and resources to other animal welfare partners.
Animal Control
Pet overpopulation is a concern for all Mesa County Animal Welfare Coalition partner agencies. Groups working specifically on pet spay/neuter initiatives, programming, and education are valued members of the coalition and their tireless work helps keep rampant pet overpopulation at bay in our community.
Pet Population
Animal Welfare Resources & Information
A huge thanks to our friends at KAFM Community Radio for helping us get the word out about these animal welfare topics. You can catch the show live on the fourth Monday of every month at 12 p.m. on KAFM 88.1.
Get Your Umbrella, It's Kitten Season!
From Spring to Fall, un-spayed and un-neutered cats are busy making babies, which results in a strain on animal welfare organizations.
Listen to what you can do to prevent kittens, what you can do if you find kittens, and how you can help animal shelters deal with the deluge.
Found Pet Kits
Have you ever stopped to help a stray dog on the side of the road and not had a leash? Or water? Or treats? Or any idea of what to do once you did catch it?
Thanks to generous supporters OakStar Bank and GivePet, Roice-Hurst Humane Society has created Found Pet Kits.
This free resource is a literal bag of tools you can use to help stray animals in Mesa County.
Learn more about the dos and don'ts of helping stray pets as well as where to get your Found Pet Kit so you always have the tools you need in your car to help our furry friends.
Grow Your Pack
Every Monday in 2026, Roice-Hurst Humane Society is offering a Pop-Up Pack Walk, thanks to the support of Primary Care Partners.
These events are free, open to the public, and are designed to get you up and moving, meeting new friends with two and four legs. Meet us at a new location each week at 12 p.m. and walk with some of our shelter pets and other like-minded folks.
Turns out that spending time with animals is good for your mental and physical health. Learn more about all our animals do for us by listening to the paw-cast. Then sign up to walk with shelter dogs on Mondays in 2026.
Fostering Love
Fostering is a great way to test-drive pet ownership. Shelters will never build enough kennels for all the homeless animals, but our walls are limitless when families open their homes to foster pets. Listen to the 'Off Leash' pawcast to learn more about what fostering with Mesa County shelters like Roice-Hurst Humane Society and Grand Rivers Humane Society is like. Did you know shelters cover the cost of food and vet care for fosters? We dive into just how big the homeless pet problem is with our friends at Mesa County Animal Services, too.
The 'Good' Pet Parent
Younger generations of potential pet owners, and even those with years of experience, often worry about meeting a 'gold standard' of pet ownership. We're here to tell you what your pet is really grateful for and have some tips on truly impactful interactions with your animal that don't take hours and hours. Turns out you DO have time for a pet.
Our partner agencies are always looking for donations, volunteers/fosters, and Board Members. Contact us today and we'll reach out with more information on how you can get involved with one of us. There's no shortage of opportunities for those who want to join us in affecting change for pets and people in Mesa County.