Here at Second Chance, we are sharing gratitude this Thanksgiving week.

We are incredibly grateful for our adopters. Watching our pets go to their forever homes is the best feeling!

Our pets and people are thankful for all who bring in donations (food for the pet pantry, dog beds, toys, sunshades, etc.). We’re also grateful for those who donate money and time, enabling our organization to thrive.

We’re especially thankful for our pets’ ability to continue to show love despite their past circumstances. Our staff and volunteers come in each day to wagging tails, purrs, and excited wiggles. It fills our hearts and reminds us of what a special connection pets have with us.

Some cats and dogs are especially thankful for foster volunteers. For various reasons, they were not thriving in the shelter environment, so wonderful foster homes stepped up. Whether it is a medical issue that needs attention, a quieter space to relax, or just a bit of extra love needed, Second Chance foster volunteers are the best, and all of us appreciate them so much.

Some of our animals are thankful for Second Chance’s policy that allowed them to come back to the shelter when their adoptions didn’t work out. They are all wonderful dogs who will be great additions to the right families. Until then, we will continue to work with them and help them find their homes.

Just a few of the volunteers who help in the Cat Castle year after year include Julie- who comes in even on holidays to give the cats love and attention. Mickey is great about taking older cats and socializing them. When we leave a cat in her care, the chances of them being adopted increases greatly.

Our Dog Den staff is thankful for long-time, reliable dog walkers- especially Kayla, Jill, Donna, and Chris. They’re also thankful for our trainers, Bob and Donna, who help make our dogs more adoptable.

The Veterinary Services team is thankful for Sue, Donna, Linda, and everyone who volunteers at the Nucla clinics. With their help, we are able to help more pets in our communities.

Finally, we are thankful for each other. Some shout-outs from our staff:

“Thankful for everyone’s hard work, compassion, and gratitude for one another and our volunteers. I am grateful for every single one of you and all the individual ways you show up.”

“I am grateful that our community supports us, appreciates us, and steps up in so many ways. I am thankful we can offer so many valuable services to our community.”

“Grateful for our cat and dog caregivers for doing such an amazing job at socializing and training our pets to get them to their forever homes.”

“Thankful for our maintenance team for their hard work addressing maintenance issues as they arise!”

We all wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Annie is a young pittie girl who would love nothing more than to have a home of her own this holiday season. She adores people, especially kids, and gets along with other dogs.

Since 1994, the Animal Resource Center and the Shops of Second Chance Humane Society have been dedicated to serving animals in Southwestern Colorado. Our adoption hours are every day from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. We are located at 177 County Rd 10, Ridgway, CO. You can view our shelter pets and services online at secondchancehumane.org.