Founded in 1910, the Dumb Friends League is a national leader in providing humane care to lost and abandoned animals, rescuing sick, injured and abused animals, adopting pets to new homes, helping pets stay in homes, and educating pet owners and the public about the needs of companion animals.
The Dumb Friends League is the largest animal welfare organization in the Rocky Mountain region, welcoming tens of thousands animals to their two shelters. They turn no animals away.
At their main shelter in southeast Denver and our Buddy Center in Castle Rock, dogs, cats, rabbits and other small pets enjoy the comfort of a nurturing environment in state-of-the-art facilities.
Explaining the Name…
The organization was named after a London, England, animal shelter called Our Dumb Friends League. In those days (early 1900’s), the term “dumb” was often used to refer to those who were unable to speak.
Although the term “dumb” is not generally used with that meaning today, we’ve kept our name, because it has significant recognition among Colorado residents.
The mission statement of the Dumb Friends League includes these words: “speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves,” meaning our companion animal friends.
More than just adopting animals…
The Dumb Friends League provides the following services to the Rocky Mountain Region.

  • Provides shelter and care for as many as 25,000 lost and abandoned animals every year
  • Adopts homeless pets to new families
  • Reunites lost pets with their owners
  • Investigates animal cruelty and supports animal-friendly legislation
  • Provides animal behavior assistance through classes, a free telephone helpline and the Internet
  • Offers free pet-friendly housing referrals throughout Colorado
  • Educates children and adults about the humane treatment of animals and the importance of spaying and neutering
  • Offers donor-subsidized spay/neuter for owned cats and dogs in under-served communities

Taking DFL on the Road…
The Pet Care-avan is a 27-foot mobile unit that is fitted with kennels and taken throughout the Denver area and Douglas County. Our goal is to help increase awareness about the organization and adopt more pets. In the past year they have attended more than 125 events, interacting with nearly 77,000 patrons and adopting more than 110 pets. Go behind the scenes of the Pet Care-avan.
DFL on YouTube
Helping pets recently affected by natural disasters
Many more videos about DFL on Youtube.com