Background Statement
Journey Home Animal Care Center (Formerly Rifle Animal Shelter) operated under the auspices of the City of Rifle for the past 20 years. While operating under the City of Rifle, our facility mainly cared for dogs that were picked up running at large in the city. We were very limited on the number of cats we could care for by City Council's regulations.
The City worked very closely with Garfield County Animal Welfare Foundation, Inc., also known as Friends of the Rifle Animal Shelter (FRAS) to care for the over flow of cats and kittens. FRAS is a 501 © (3) non-profit corporation formed in 1999 to help rebuild the Rifle Animal Shelter. The Rifle Animal Shelter, over 30 years old in 1999, was on the verge of being shut down. The shelter was renovated in just six months with donated labor and materials. Once the shelter was renovated, FRAS's next goal was to spay/neuter and provide medical care for every animal coming into the shelter. In 2002, FRAS expanded its program to include financial assistance into the western Garfield County community to help people spay/neuter their pets.
After 14 years of both organizations working closely together to make a difference in the lives of animals it was decided FRAS would enter into a contract with the City to take over operations of Rifle Animal Shelter. On January 1st, 2012 FRAS took over operations and management. This transition has allowed Rifle Animal Shelter to grow as an organization and increase the amount of animals, especially cats, our shelter can take-in, care for and adopt out.
Beginning in 2017, Rifle Animal Shelter began a capital campaign to construct a new facility and become Journey Home Animal Care Center. In December, 2021, Journey Home was officially finished and the animals in our care received a new temporary home!
The Journey Home Animal Care Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to caring for homeless animals in Garfield County, Colorado and beyond. We spay/neuter, vaccinate, provide medical care and offer a safe, nurturing environment until a permanent home is found for the animals in our care. JHACC believes in providing the community around us with support and encourages them to utilize JHACC as a community resource.