HeidiTown Gives Back: PetAid Colorado

I learned about PetAid Colorado through my People With Compassion for Pets Giving Circle, and after checking the organization out, I decided to pick them as the recipient of my November HeidiTown Gives Back Campaign.

If you are new to HeidiTown, each month, a Colorado nonprofit of my choosing receives free ad space on HeidiTown, plus a write-up about the organization which is posted on the first Monday of the month.

Pet owners know that taking your dog to the vet isn’t cheap. I find that it’s difficult to get out of a vet’s office without dropping at least $100, but most of us don’t think twice before getting much needed veterinary service for our animals. However, most of us aren’t choosing between vet services for Fido and feeding ourselves, and that’s where PetAid Colorado comes in.

PetAid Colorado believes that every sick or injured animal should have access to top-quality veterinary care regardless of the owner’s ability to pay. In other words, this organization is a safety net for Colorado pets.

By making care available and affordable, PetAid Animal Hospital ensures that pets do not end up abandoned or relinquished to shelters. They also make sure that pets remain with their owners, keeping the human-animal bond intact, which is important not only for the animal, but can often be crucial for the owner’s emotional and even physical wellbeing. We all know how much our pets mean to us, and this is no different for those on disability, a fixed income, the elderly, unemployed or homeless.

How do they do it? They do it through the Angel Fund. The “angels” are donors who give to PetAid to provide help for Colorado’s most at-risk pets. Donors, along with PetAid’s staff and the partnership of Colorado’s veterinary professionals are what keep this organization running.

I have barely scratched the surface of what PetAid Colorado does and how they help. I would invite you to browse their extensive website (petaidcolorado.org) and join them on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Also, please consider this organization on Colorado Gives Day on December 10, 2013.

Brief Summary of Pet Aid Colorado History:  PetAid Colorado  was created as  the Colorado Veterinary Medical Foundation (CVMF), a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization,  in 2002 to support education, scholarship, and service programs that improve animal health and welfare in Colorado. The name was changed in 2012 to PetAid Colorado  to better reflect the mission and goals of the organization. The involvement of veterinarians makes PetAid Colorado  unique, allowing it to make the broadest impact on animal health and to offer services and insights that no other group can. In short, PetAid Colorado  exists to make Colorado a better place for animals and people.    

PetAid Colorado  as a whole has grown considerably in a short amount of time. In January 2007, PetAid Colorado  (then CVMF) merged with PetAid Animal Hospital (named Harrison Memorial Animal Hospital at that time), the largest not-for-profit veterinary hospital in Colorado. After that merger, Animal Assistance Foundation, the owner of the 22,000 square-foot facility, gifted the building to CVMF. The Harrison Center for Animals provides office space, storage capacity, clinical facilities, classroom and conference room space, and a permanent home for all PetAid Colorado  programs. PetAid Colorado  is partnering with the veterinary associations and other organizations in supporting public outreach and educational programs in animal health and welfare.