Puppy adoption done RIGHT! I cannot give enough praise to this service on the way they run their adoption process... It is fair and equal and reasonable! First come, first serve... find the next love of your life and take them home right then Check the website and decide on the puppy(ies) or dog(s) that you want to check out in order of importance(we knew THE ONE right away), go to their location on Saturday before opening time and wait in line in your car for them to open(the earlier you get there, the better your chances of being the first to see and get the puppy you chose), right before they open every car in line gets a ticket with a number on it that tells the staff their place in line and thus their place in priority to visit with and chose a dog... all that's left at that point is to park, go "inside" (visit kennels are mostly outdoors, dress warmly if it's cool out) and visit your pet to be sure their temperament suits your needs... If it does, then you go fill out the short adoption forms and pay the very reasonable fee(as it includes first shots and neuter/spay cost) and then take your new family member home with you! Easy peasy and off to cuddle town!!! ‍ We plan to get all our babies here from now on.. Gracie Mae has been the sweetest girl ever.... read more

See all

This is by far my favorite rescue in the area. I am both a volunteer and foster with Lifeline and can say that this organization helps save so many dogs, every week. They work so hard everyday to change the lives of these dogs and to help the community. Please be patient with animal rescues right now, there are SO many homeless animals that need help and rescues are being flooded with requests. read more

Hi guys, first time puppy Mom here. After months of the hubs showing me irresistible pics of pup after pup, I finally caved and we adopted our Heeler Mix (def a big dose of German Shepherd in that mix) Rex from Lifeline Puppy Rescue. Since COVID, the long lines and arriving hours before they open to secure an adoption spot is no longer a thing. The adoption process was actually SUPER easy. New pups available for adoption are on their website by 1pm every Thursday and you complete the adoption application that same day. I think it may just depend on how many puppies are available and the number of hopeful puppy parents, but you find out that day whether you're one of the lucky ones - and you guessed it, we were! We were told that they were calling us at exactly 11:13am that same Saturday and on that quick call, we told them what available pup we wanted. The very next day we picked our little boy up. Rex came home at 10 weeks already neutered, microchipped, and with his shots started. We took him to the vet the following week and he's a happy, healthy, growing boy. I'm sad to see the horrible reviews on this page because our experience with Lifeline Puppy Rescue was better than we could have ever expected read more

Glad I read review on Yelp. I had some idea of what was going to happen. Opens at 11am. To get dog you want, GET THERE EARLY. Bring coffee, something to read, maybe even a blankey. read more

Can not believe the negligence on behalf of Lifeline. Three days after adopting our puppy she was diagnosed with Parvo. She started throwing up at 5:30 pm and when we called our vet they were closing. They said if she keeps throwing up take her to a 24 hour clinic immediately. She couldn't stop so my husband took the dog to the vet and I emailed Lifeline as soon as we received the Parvo diagnosis to find out our next steps. I started to read about parvo and lifeline puppy rescue (FYI should have done that before adopting) and some of the reviews were scary, people would hand there puppies back only to have them die. Parvo is very deadly for puppies if not treated properly. Hydration is key and it needs to happen immediately and constantly, puppies dehydrate very quickly. Lifeline emailed us in the morning saying we could bring her back. After reading the reviews I made a list of responsible questions to find out about how they care for Parvo pups. My kids were already attached to the puppy, we had lost our 12 year old dog two years ago and my youngest with tear filled eyes said mommy we have to save this puppy. Not to mention we already had 1,000 vet bill for her overnight stay plus the 400 for adoption fees. The 24 hour hospital quoted us 5,000-7,000 to treat her and said it could be more. I was so fortunate to have made an appointment at our local humane society at the end of the week so I called them up to find out if they could treat her because like I said there is no wasting time with parvo. They said I could transfer her over, they had tons of experience with parvo pups and their success rate at saving them was high. They also quoted us 700-2000 depending on how many days she needed to be treated, but they were not a 24 hour facility. Everyone on their team was incredible, at closing I could pick her up bring her home monitor her in case she needed to be rushed for treatment, she was able to spend her nights at home in her bed stress free. As soon as they opened at 7am she would get her fluid IVs for the day along with her other meds. They said that the puppies can remove IVs overnight so no issues having her at home. In the meantime emails were going back and forth with lifeline, they refused to answer my questions never called or gave us a number to talk to anyone. They did say if the puppy had stopped throwing up they treated them on site but never said who was treating them or how often and we could not pick her up in the evening and drop her off the next day. If they were throwing up they went to a vet. At one point our puppy had stopped throwing up but started again and needed a vet. Radio silence when I asked Lifeline where to take her. We have friends who rescue puppies/dogs (out of state) and we were in close contact with their team, they were disgusted on how Lifeline handled this situation. Humane society's and animal rescues who run background checks, foster animals in peoples homes and are transparent on treatments are the only places I will adopt from in the future. Our Humane society treats all of their dogs in their licensed clinics with vets and techs for free when you adopt from them. our puppy cost us over $3,000 and lifeline would only refund us 250.00 they claim cause we volunteered to treat her on our own and not take advantage of their free services. Well it's a bit shady when they can not answer simple questions and skirt them. And when we said yes please send us the vets office who will be treating her (send records see if they have 24 hour care etc... we did not hear back from them, our puppy would have definitely died had we waited for them to respond. And the free insurance they tell you to sign up for will not cover parvo they claim it's a Pre existing condition. Some of my questions 1. Licensed vet or tech treat pups on site 2. How often are people checking on the puppies and who is checking on them 3. What treatments are given 4. Who are the vets I can take the puppy to for treatment read more

I adopted my puppy from here two months ago and I really love this shelter. The vast majority of people who work here are volunteers. If you show up early (and you should), you get a number before you go in. I found that very helpful. My puppy had kennel cough when I signed the adoption papers, but they kept her until her treatment was completed. I got her medical records from them before I got to pick her up and you can tell they take care about their puppies. She already had most of her vaccines and it had all of her treatment from kennel cough listed as well. She saw the vet everyday from 3/27 to 4/11. I would highly suggest this shelter. Speaking to them via phone or email was a bit difficult, but overall I had a great experience even with her being sick at first. read more

Lifeline Puppy Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me - Brighton, Colorado

See all

Wonderful rescue to adopted a puppy from. Puppies are well taken care of, come with vaccinations, and are extremely loved.

Bought our puppy from here for Father's Day. As to how much of it is actually a "rescue" I'm unsure. Seems like they just have the puppies taken from New Mexico and then sell them for profit. Our dog was taking a lot of dewormer and had parasites when we got him. Ended up spending $600 for our puppy and hundreds more for lab results, medicine, check ups, and extra shots. I wish they would give more background on where these poor puppies come from so you're more prepared for what could happen. I love our baby Thor so much but it's been a journey to get him healthy. read more

After reading all the scathing reviews and weighing my options, I decided that the puppy I found on the Lifeline website was too good to pass up. We were very happy with the service we received during the adoption process but there are some things that I want to point out. 1. If you have a specific puppy in mind that you want, get there EARLY!!! 1 hour early is not nearly enough if you want one in particular. We pulled into the driveway at 8:00 am, a full 3 hours before they opened, and were the first car in line but the 2nd car arrived less than 5 minutes later. By the time 11:00 rolled around there were 25-30 cars lined up. Every car in line will receive a number about 10-15 minutes prior to the gates opening. When the gates open, you will pull in, park and then everyone will stand behind a rope waiting to be let in to view the puppies. Myself and the 2nd car to arrive were let in first prior to the bigger portions of the group and had all the volunteers ready to help. If you are looking for a specific companion that you will have for potentially over 10 years, I cannot stress how important it is to arrive very very early. Charge your phone, bring a snack, and take a nap. It's worth the wait. 2. If you do not arrive early, plan to be among groups of 7-10 families that are released all together based on the number you received in line. As there are only so many volunteers you may not immediately get the help nor the puppy that you want. That has nothing to do with the volunteer's willingness to help, but rather the overwhelming number of people that all think they deserve to be helped immediately as well. 3. The puppies are NOT kept permanently in the kennels that you see them in during the adoption time like other reviews have stated. I watched no short of 20 different cars driven by fosters arrive prior to opening to drop off the puppies. 4. On to the health of my puppy. Although many reviewers have stated that their puppies had Parvo or any number of problems after adoption which I agree can be horrible, I on the other hand have a perfectly healthy puppy. Upon adoption, Lifeline will give you a list of 40 vet clinics around Colorado that will give you a free puppy wellness evaluation which is great and a service that you should take advantage of. I was able to call my current vet and they offered the same exam at no charge so do not feel like you must go to one of those 40 clinics given by Lifeline. I did pay for them to look at a stool sample where they found a very slight Coccidia infection. My vet assured me it is very common and treatable. The total bill for the stool sample eval and 5-day treatment for the Coccidia came to just over $50. I cannot speak to, nor am trying to speak to, any of the interactions others have had with Lifeline in the past, but from my perspective, this place is run as smooth and organized as possible. If you are even considering adopting a puppy, at least give Lifeline a shot. If they were intentionally adopting out sick puppies, they would no longer be in business; there are always risks when adopting from a shelter. Think of it this way, if Lifeline hadn't intervened and taken in these puppies, they would have been euthanized at the shelters they were at previously. TL;DR Get there very early or you will wait and possibly miss out on the puppy you want, my puppy is healthy, give Lifeline a shot. read more

Lifeline Puppy Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me - Brighton, Colorado

See all

The place is great if you want to adopt rescued puppies and dogs. The prices are reasonable and let's face it, everyone loves puppies. However, the staff here are terrible. If you plan on volunteering, make sure you have a photographic memory (because they get very angry if you ask them twice about the same task) and keep your mouth shut. Anytime my son or I would open our mouths to ask a question or to see what we could do to help next, we were greeted with extremely condescending attitudes, eye rolls and SIGHS. I won't name any names. I realize they are not there to be best friends with everyone, but they would have a lot more volunteers if their staff was a little more personable. It's unfortunate because we wanted to continue volunteering, but the way we were treated made us never want to go back. read more

Zero Stars! And that's only going off of customer service. After reading the additional reviews I'm glad we didn't go forward with the adoption. I feel sorry for all the puppies that do have to encounter the people running this operation. read more

Let me start by saying I'm not an affiliate of this organization. My husband and I found out about it on facebook and decided to go to the adoption event on 2/3/18. I had read the yelp and Facebook reviews, many of which were negative, and was nervous about the condition of the puppies and the care they would be in. I'm happy to say we just adopted a beautiful little heeler mix and our experience could not have been better. This volunteer run shelter is truly amazing. There were cars lined up half a mile down the road before the event even started and the volunteers handled all of the people in a fair and organized manner. Each person was given a number in order of where their car was parked in the line and those numbers were used to determine browsing groups and puppy preference (SO GET THERE AT LEAST AN HOUR EARLY!). The staff takes great precautions to keep the puppies healthy. They consistently use hand sanitizer between handling puppies, do not allow adopters to touch puppy to puppy without hand sanitizer, and separate the puppies by litter so that any disease that could potentially break out is contained. Once you have chosen your puppy they give a very informative overview of their policies, the adoption process, return policy, puppy care, microchip, etc. anything you need to know is in that orientation, nd everything in their policies is more than fair. This organization is great at what they do and really have it together. I'm so impressed at how smoothly the adoption went for us even with so many people there. I would recommend Lifeline to any friend ready to assume the role of a rescue puppy parent. We are loving our sweet little girl! read more

Lifeline Puppy Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me - Brighton, Colorado

See all

The sold me a puppy with PARVO after I specifically asked if there was anyway she had parvo. Under there contract stated if any health issues occur in the first 8 days, they will take the puppy back and cover medical cost. They did after multiple emails and calls, but since has been a horrible experience will not tell you where your sick dog is located vet wise, and you have to pester them for updates. We brought her in on Thursday 3.17.22 (emailed them on 3.16.22) we saw her in multiple kennels on the property with other dogs on 3.12.22 (when she had to have already had parvo and just not showing signs yet because we only had her at our house after we got her home for 5 days). Once we dropped her off we watched them have her in a kennel, that they didn't disinfect and around 2 other puppies (who are currently up for adoption). How are they selling a puppy with parvo then the next weekend putting new puppys in OUTSIDE kennels where my puppy with parvo has been? This 'rescue' sells sick puppies. Also, contracts states you'll get refunded if something like this happens then can be first to readopt the puppy you originally bought after they're healthy. No refund, just was quick to push us to adopt a puppy with PARVO for $450. We fell in love with the puppy and just want her healthy and back. DO NOT ADOPT HERE! Paying $450 for a sick puppy and then not knowing how she is doing is devastating! If you bought her littermates please let me know. There was about 5 of them in a kennel. read more

Lifeline Puppy Rescue - Puppy - Animal Shelters Near Me - Brighton, Colorado

Giving 5 stars and would give 100 if I could. I just feel the need to speak against those that blame Lifeline for the illnesses that a puppy may come to you with. The work that these volunteers are doing is saintly. Please consider the fact that these puppies were rescued from death and that their lives to this point were not ideal. Our wonderful Donut came to us through Lifeline from a shelter where the only hit when googling is an article stating that they don't have enough money for euthanasia medicine so instead they just shoot the dogs. You are rescuing this dog to give it a better life. Anything the dog brings with it is not on Lifeline. read more

came across them randomly and adopted a great puppy from lifeline. she's turning one this week. no trouble with adoption, very quick process. employees were sad to see the pup go. maybe return for another pup in a few years. read more

Lifeline Puppy Rescue - dog - Animal Shelters Near Me - Brighton, Colorado

Ohhh lets see we Love our puppy !!! However, she came with a Hernia, that they fold is was fixed.. upon exam of our vet we were told it was never touched... no big deal.... we were also told she was 8 weeks old. Her reaction with my older dogs " under area " and trying to feed made me realize she is not 8 weeks.. more like 4... and our vet agreed... more ... she was already fixed ... which sounds great !! But our vet told us that this whole thing of fixing them young is not ok and that it was bogus that they have to get them fixed .. ok whatever run your biz the way you wish... but when the owner of a Reacue pulls up in a Catillac and brings his own dogs that are NOT fixed.. It's like wtf ??? You " rescue " dogs but you do not fix your dogs ?? ... they make a lot more money on these puppies than they let on... read more

Since covid this place has trippled in price where puppies who were not full breeds were at $125 now the costs is at $400. They state it's for the animals being fixed and chipped and boarding. I call it GREED! read more

As much as I love that they rescue puppies I hate the way they run their rescue. First of all it's absolutely ridiculous that you can never contact ANYBODY, no matter what. There are no momma dogs which makes you wonder if they are still rotting away at the shelter while their cute, adoptable puppies were taken. The fact that they get the pups and then put them up for adoption in less than a week is irresponsible. Finally, the place is a complete cluster. They open at 11am, people start lining up at 6am. Madness. read more

We got our puppy, Lola from Lifeline a year ago and couldn't be happier! This place is reasonably priced and they made the process very easy. I will make sure to recommend Lifeline to all of my friends. read more

Lifeline Puppy Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me - Brighton, Colorado

See all

They do not get their puppies from animal welfare groups, and cannot legitimately accept stray dogs. So, where, then, do they get their puppies from? Vouchers or rebates for spays and neuters are not allowed by Colorado law for rescues or shelters...you cannot take a dog from any rescue until after it has been sterilized. But, people who "adopt" from here are posting they got a "rebate" after they had their dog neutered on their own. That only flies for retailers, oddly enough. Curious...makes me wonder. Feels eerily like Cruela Devil might be involved. read more

10 years ago, we got our wonder mutt from Lifeline. She has been a wonderful dog!! My daughters and I began doing volunteer work here for a service project and continue to volunteer from time to time. I'd like to address some negative reviews. First of all, there aren't any shelter owners getting rich off this non profit organization. Fundraising and outreach keep this organization going. The staff work hard for their mission. Puppies are rescued from kill shelters in neighboring states and given a chance with Colorado families who are among the most passionate dog lovers in the region. Our lifeline pup has been a very well mannered and healthy dog. At age 10, she is in incredible shape. She has has been far more healthy than our 11year old purebred retriever who came from a reputable breeder. Our rescue dog is healthy and well mannered because we committed to her care and behavior management from the day we adopted her. We knew that she arrived to the shelter only days before she went home with us. We knew that she was examined by participating veterinarians who had spade her the week before as well. We knew that her future health was uncertain . We knew that her breed was uncertain , so I couldn't predict her future temperament ..... but all these uncertainties were MY responsibility as her mama. It truly doesn't matter if your pet comes from a shelter, pet shop, or private breeder. You raise and care for your puppy and get out of them what you put into them. So why not give a shelter puppy an exceptional home who's future could have been devastating if it had not been for the lifeline staff who's mission is to get young pups out of overcrowded kill shelters? read more

Amazing organization run by volunteers. Arrive early as everyone says. This weekend the first person inline arrived at 530am. Don't worry you will get to pick in the order you arrive, they hand out number to each car and let you in side in that order. Take their recommendation and get a wellness exam early. I highly suggest asking for a fecal test at that exam. They offer crates and a "starter kit" basket of food toys leashes etc at more reasonable price than petsmart. Thanks for doing what you do. read more

Probably closer to 3.5, but I'm good with rounding up in this case. I can only add my own experience, and it was ultimately fantastic - I have a happy, goofy, healthy and beloved eight year old border collie/husky mix who came from Lifeline as a pup. I love that Lifeline literally gives a lifeline to these little guys, and that many pups are brought from regions where they'd have very small likelihood of survival. The adoption fee covered a lot, including 6 months (I think) of puppy insurance, which was great - especially as she did get quite sick for a week or so soon after I took her home (not Parvo). No idea whether it had anything to do with Lifeline's practices - adopting any little stray is a risk as to health, temperament, etc., and it seems reasonable that no matter their precautions, puppy kennels and shelters are like day-cares and schools with unavoidable germs getting swapped around. One thing I really didn't like, and it sounds from Tim C.'s review they might've addressed it, was the frenzied sprint of prospective adopters once they opened the gates. CRAP. I felt bad for those overwhelmed pups, and walked straight by the sharks crowding the first pens to the quiet ones at back, where I found my girl-dog waiting for me. Overall, I found Lifeline to be a caring organization doing a good job at achieving their mission and doing their best to prepare adopters for ownership. I can't imagine they have a flush operating budget, and it sounds like they're working to address the rough spots. I'd be curious to know more about Kate G.'s experience in general, and when it actually was. As Tim said, check out the place in person and ask a lot of questions. I'm endlessly glad they exist for pairing me up with such a fantastic fuzz-butt as I found there. They've saved a lot of lives. read more

Sketchy place, sick puppies. Beware and ask many questions if you decide to go with this "rescue."

I echo A.S. and Tim as a two-dog adopter from Lifeline. We adopted our first alumnus way back in 2001, and our second three years ago. First, this is not a mill at all. The volunteers spend the week contacting shelters throughout Colorado and as far away as New Mexico to bring puppies to Lifeline. Those puppies are then fostered until they're ready for adoptions, which are hosted on weekends at their facility. So, the person claiming these dogs live in pens with 3-6 other dogs doesn't have the whole story. Adoption weekends can be crazy-hectic. What do you expect? We live in such an entitled society that the adoptive families all want to be first in line to get the cutest faces. Do yourself a favor; wait until about an hour or so after Saturday open, or go on Sunday. It won't be as crowded, and you'll still have a chance to give a puppy a needed home. They give all families a card and let them see puppies in order, so take your time and find two or three you like. We lucked out in that we brought home both our first choices, and we haven't regretted it. But, we didn't care if we hadn't, as we had second choices picked out. Again, if it's a zoo, what did you expect? They warn folks on their website that it can be hectic. Take your time and chill out. If your perfect puppy isn't there, come back a different week. The parvovirus comment sounds like sour grapes. Any puppy can catch parvo; and, I've found the volunteers to be VERY responsive. Our second puppy came home with demodectic mange which is common in rescues and easily treated at the vet - and, as we found, NOT contagious. But, we contacted Lifeline and they were still apologetic and made note to alert their volunteers to watch for it. Helpful hint: they seem to be easy to reach via email. The only caveat I would give is that it's not cheap. The current fee is $250, and you get a rebate from it for neutering. But, that's a little higher than the other shelters. However, this is an all-puppy rescue. So, given demand, I'm not shocked. read more

When we showed up to this rescue at the advertised time on the advertised date we were shocked to see a line of cars. When we went in we asked about the puppy we had viewed online we found out someone was already playing with that puppy and would probably adopt. The volunteers were crazy busy trying to meet everyone's demands and keep the guests and the puppy's cool in the hot sun. I was starting to feel let down and agitated and then my daughter made eye contact with a little black and brown puppy. The puppy was not what I had researched, was not the puppy I picked out online, was not what I expected at all as an addition to my family. We asked to spend some time with the puppy at my daughters request and immediately fell in love with her. Daisy is so smart and unexpectedly the very piece that was missing from our family. She came to our home as a well fed and healthy pup. I had to post this review although I don't normally because I think people forget some things. 1. You get what you need, not what you want 2. If you are not invested enough in the reality of a puppy, the fee will scare you, that's good. Don't get a puppy if you cannot afford that reality. If you bring a puppy to a vet for proper shots, check ups, spade or neutering you will pay easily over $300. This fee includes all of this plus pet insurance for 30 days, a tracking chip, a free vet check from a vet of your choice, and most importantly the money goes into the efforts to help other dogs be rescued from shelters and be spayed and neutered so less dogs have to suffer. 3. There are a lot of people hoping to bring home a dog, be patient with yourself and them. If your anxiety and stress is through the roof you will not be able to connect with a puppy. The puppy is going to sense that emotional turmoil straight away. 4. This is not a pet store. Educate yourself on breeds before showing up. The signs on the cages may or may not be correct. While you're taking your time researching the "suggested" breed someone else who has knowledge of that breed is choosing that dog. If you don't find a puppy wait until their next puppy weekend. Your puppy is out there making its way to you, be patient. 5. These people are volunteers. This is their calling to help these animals. They are not trained customer service representatives. They are not getting paid to put up with bad attitudes and petulant childish behavior, if they are getting paid at all. If it is in your heart to rescue, then you should show gratitude to the people who are spending their time finding dogs and putting them in a safe place. Read all the directions on their website and listen to all direction given by staff and you will be able to navigate the process with ease. I had no issue. I came 10 minutes early, I immediately asked staff about the dog I was interested in. When that one wasn't available we started to look around. I washed my hands and carefully handled the pup spending enough time to get to know their personality. I had my children sit on the ground and treat the pup with respect. We signed our paperwork, sat through orientation and paid the fee. Done. read more

Lifeline Puppy Rescue - Daisy Dew - Animal Shelters Near Me - Brighton, Colorado

Two of my three pittie bull fur babes came from there and total for my family we are 3 for 3 success stories for my family. the staff was great. It is sad that others didn't have the same experience because it is a huge job to run kennel of that size and type. I volunteer on Christmas even and it was an unforgettable experience they have been amazing in every sense of the word! read more

Lifeline Puppy Rescue - This is the BEST Pittie Patient EVER! Yes the pup has a B/P cuff on! My 3 yr old g-daughter is gonna be DocMcLilly! 5stars - Animal Shelters Near Me - Brighton, Colorado

See all

I got my pup, Chap, here three years ago. Id like to address some previous reviews here. There were a lot of people waiting when we got there but idk how anyone could complain about rescue puppies being adopted too fast. Chap was $150 to adopt at 4 months and was already neutered. They have you sit through a brief class about care and recommendations on products and puppy training. They were all very informative and sweet people and for my next pup I'll probably be going back there. read more

We got our sweet puppy Rufus from Lifeline. He is such a joy and we are so thankful to have him. We had a wonderful experience with Lifeline staff and I am incredibly happy they set our puppy up for success. Thank you Lifeline for all that you do. read more

Lifeline is an amazing organization. We got our little Stevie from here about two months ago and we could not be happier! She is a perfect addition to our little family and we love her so much. To address some of the reviews, yes, some of the puppies are sick. Our puppy had Parvo and ended up in the hospital for a few days, costing us a lot of money. However, if you truly want a rescue puppy and DO YOUR RESEARCH prior, you will find that parvo is an extremely common disease among rescue puppies, which Lifeline also made quite clear during the orientation process. Lifeline offered to take her back and treat her for free, but we chose to have her in the ICU getting treatment. We knew this was a risk and we're prepared to do whatever we had to in order to keep Stevie healthy. We were committing to bringing her into our home and providing a lifetime for her. In addition to this, lifeline makes you sign a contract saying your puppy appears healthy and they are not responsible for vet bills, which in my opinion was pretty clear and to the point. This organization is run solely off wonderful volunteers who care so much about the puppies, and they give 20+ puppies a week a chance that come from kill shelters. I can not say enough good things about this organization. All I can say is if you want to adopt from a shelter, especially a puppy, do your research in advance. This is a living animal you're taking care for, not something lifeline is "selling" you. If you want a perfect puppy with no health issues guaranteed, go to a breeder. Also - I'd suggest getting there super early. We arrived about 2.5 hours early to get our wonderful little girl and we were already 8th in line. Pick one out online ahead of time and show up early :) Thank you lifeline for giving us the most perfect, sweet, goofy and now healthy addition to our family!! read more

See all

This "rescue" is a glorified puppy mill....HORRIBLE! 1. its a zoo: very unorganized...we were there for other 3 hours with very little help or answers. 2. Puppies are all most likely sick...parvo runs wild through these puppies, our puppy ended up having parvo. 3. they showed little to no concern about this problem 4. they fill the puppies with 7-10 medicines to prevent illness when in reality it causes tummy issues. 5. the puppies stay in outdoor pins with 3-6 other dogs. 6. the phone number....no one will EVER ANSWER! DO NOT ADOPT YOUR DOG HERE....SUPPORT LOCAL SHELTERS OR BREEDERS, THESE DOGS ARE SICK AND ITS NOT FAIR TO THESE PUPPIES! Stop this business by no one supporting them! read more

If you look at reviews of this place on Google, etc., there are some who will tell you that this rescue place is a "puppy mill," or some such thing. Doesn't seem to be the case. This isn't the Taj Mahal of locations, like Boulder Valley Humane Society, but this is completely volunteer run and they are providing an important service to the Front Range, and actually all over the region as their puppies come from a wide swathe of places (our dog came from New Mexico). Bottom line, go see this place for yourself and make your own decisions...every puppy from an unknown source (such as a rescue) is a "risk," but the folks at Lifeline are doing good work. My wife and I got there about an hour and a half before the shelter opened and we were first in line...they give you a card and let people in to see the dogs in order...I would strongly encourage you to do the same if you'd like the "pick of the litter." I think the website updates on Friday and Wednesday, so if there's one you like, get there early and visit with him/her. Overall an excellent experience...strongly recommended... read more

We got our pup from here and she is the best dog ever, but I am biased. When we arrived at Lifeline I was really worried, the conditions are not like the Hilton. But it was easy to find our pup and the orientation was good. We have not had any problems with our pup and I am glad there are people out there trying to find shelter dogs a home. If we think we can handle another puppy, we will probably make another trip to Brighton. read more

If you don't get there an hour before they open on Saturday all the good dogs wi be adopted. They'll leave the puppies out for you to see but you can't adopt them because of the people who somehow knew to be there an hour early. The volunteers were not helpful in trying to find out information. No parking or any organization to the parking. Very frustrating experience. read more

We got our beautiful girl here back in December and she has been healthy and happy ever since. I would like to address the parvo issue a lot of owners face. It's a virus that is easily spread in all shelters (Kennel Cough is also common) and with this shelter specifically dealing with puppies the risk of parvo is increased greatly with the an adoption because the puppies are still getting vaccinations. Symptoms also don't show up until 3-10 days after the puppy has been exposed, so it is unlikely that this shelter is adopting out dogs knowing they have parvo. Puppies are expensive and difficult to take care of, you should know that before you even arrive at Lifeline. Their return window is generous enough that you can give the puppy back if they're sick and Lifeline will treat it. Anything past a week though is generally your fault. Puppies should be kept at home until at least their 3rd shot of DHPP. With so many people there I was surprised at how quick we got in and out. We had paperwork done and puppy in hand by 1 o clock. One thing I do recommend them change is adding general wellness information when the volunteer presents. A lot of dog owners, new and old, need to be made aware of the heartworms, fleas, ticks, parvo, etc. There was a severe lack of that information, and I feel like it would help a lot with all of the angry adopters and just the general health of the dog. read more

So yes they ARE a rescue. They don't mill their puppies - they rescue them from shelters all over Colorado and NM that would otherwise be killed. My beef with them is that they then do not spay and neuter them before they are adopted. They require (by state law) a $50 spay/neuter deposit. This deposit is refunded if you spay/neuter your pet within 90 days otherwise it forfeited. It costs way more than $50 to spay/neuter your pet unless you go to Denver Dumb Friends League. So probably half of the people who adopt these puppies don't spay or neuter. So that doesn't solve the problem. They could up their spay/neuter deposit or actually increase their adoption fee and adopt out only sterilized pets. 18,000 dogs are killed in Colorado every year in shelters... so we don't need to add more puppies to the world. read more

****Our Puppy passed away under Lifeline's care when we brought it back to be treated for PARVO. Really respect puppy rescues for what they do and what they stand for, which is why my wife and I wanted to adopt from a local rescue. However, my wife and I recently had one of the worst experiences of our life with this rescue. We picked up our puppy Grizzly on July 29th and scheduled an appointment with a vet as soon as we could get him in which was on Tuesday August 1st. That same day our puppy tested positive for Parvo. The fact that we purchased Grizzly with Parvo (Parvo has an incubation period between 3-7 days) is not the saddest part of all of this, but it is rather how we were treated when we let the rescue know. They basically told us we would have to return him for a refund and basically relinquish rights to the dog and then they would give him to their vet who would treat him. We had already invested about $700 in hospital fees to keep him overnight at the original hospital we went to. If we were to keep him there longer for our own treatment the estimate was between $3,000 and $4,000 for in hospital care. We decided to bring him back to the rescue and were assured by the staff that puppies 99.9% of the time make a full recovery. We were told "Parvo is not as scary as it used to be". We repeatedly asked about the care and quality of the vet and were assured he would be given quality treatment. The FIRST problem is that Lifeline REFUSED to at least give us the name of the vet. Additionally from the point we let them know we had a problem they only communicated to us through a blocked caller ID. And from the point we gave Grizzly back to them for treatment we would only receive an occasional one to two sentence email about how he was doing. From the first night of treatment with our vet, which we paid the $700, grizzly was in a documented stable and upbeat condition. FROM THE POINT WE RETURNED HIM HIS CONDITION DETERIORATED AND THE WORST PART IS WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT VET OR IF ANY VET TOOK CARE OF HIM AT ALL. The updates we received went from "your puppy still has diarrhea but has stopped vomiting" on Monday August 7th to Your puppy has passed away on Monday August 9th. I AM STILL WAITING FOR THIS PLACE TO CALL ME BACK, since they have been mainly communicating through my wife. I WOULD NEVER EXPECT A PLACE WHOSE MISSION TO SAVE PUPPIES TO TREAT CUSTOMERS THE WAY THEY HAVE TREATED US. FROM MINUTE WE LET THEM KNOW OUR PUPPY HAD PARVO THEY WERE VERY TRANSACTIONAL and NOT SENTIMENTAL IN THE SLIGHTEST REGARD. My wife and I as of this morning are literally left in shock. Unwarranted feelings of guilt for not spending upwards of $4,000 for a puppy can't help but make their way into our thoughts. We should not have these feelings and I blame lifeline for not properly communicating the actual name of where the dog was being cared for or any details on the quality of care. At the end of all this they have still yet to call me directly to tell me what happened. They told my wife they would reserve any puppy we liked online and we would not have to wait on Saturday to pick one out if we wanted another one . What kind of bullshit restitution is that??? HOW TRANSACTIONAL CAN YOU BE?? Their methods of care should absolutely be investigated and if it turns it is all legitimate then at least everyone knows the dogs are in safe hands when they are returned, but until you communicate and allow your customers to see the kind of care you are really giving these animals when they are returned and deemed sick you are guilty of negligence. You owe your customers, who bond with the animals they purchase very quickly, the smallest obligation of allowing them to be involved in the care of the animal they purchased. Update*** I just spoke with the owner who I questioned about the care and about the fact that her staff assured me that Parvo is not that scary and the puppy would almost 100% make a full recovery. She cut me off, told me that they gave the dog 8 days of treatment which WE WERE UNWILLING TO DO and how dare we question Lifeline when we weren't willing to treat the dog. I'm sorry but we didn't intend to buy a puppy with PARVO nor should we be guilted into feeling bad for not treating a dog that was already sick when we got it. Anyone that would use these tactics on a family or individual that has just been told the puppy they purchased is now dead, is not someone anyone should do business with. On a side note how can you refer to the 8 days of treatment you provided when you aren't even willing to share what Vet you used to care for the dog. What an awful position to put families in and again what a transactional form of restitution to offer - "we will still extend an offer for you pick out another dog without having to wait". The lack of professionalism, communication, and care throughout this whole miserable experience is unbelievable. read more

Two weeks ago tomorrow we adopted a sweet little boy who is 2 years old. We took him to vet 5 days after we got him for his exam and to get his shots. We did let the vet know he had a cough but the vet examined him and said he sounded okay, three days later he was coughing all the time, had a fever, and had green mucous coming out of his nose. We took him back to the vet that said he had an upper respiratory infection highly contagious with a 12 to 14 day incubation period. He was put on two antibiotics & a pain med. I emailed lifeline to inform them that perhaps their other dogs had been exposed. They called me that night and told me older dogs don't get that and he probably had distemper and we should have him checked for that, we would need to bring him back to them if our vet charged more than their vet. After reading all the bad reviews I really didn't feel comfortable taking him back there so we continued his meds and he is getting better our vet says he doesn't have distemper. Life line said our vet doesn't know anything about shelter dogs although they are the vets on their list to use????? He seems better today he is playing and back to his self when we got him. My problem is if there is any chance that he had distemper why would they adopt him out to infect other animals in the community & put his new family through the heartbreak. We had adopted our last dog from them 9 years ago along with my sister in laws two dogs and never had any issues. When our boy passed away a few months ago we decided it was time to get another pet so we didn't think twice about going back to Lifeline. Our vet told us that they bring back several sick animals sometimes a whole van full of ones infecting each other. Thank God our little guy will or should be ok but it was scary when they called and said that. I will never go back there or recommend them to anyone. read more

Me and wife got our first puppy at lifeline,he had so much trouble adjusting to our house,but that's because he was suffering with Parvo. He was with us for a week, and with our vet for two weeks before he passed away.We were so heart broken but still got our second pup after a few months from lifeline.He is healthy and such an amazing pup.i really respect the people for volunteering and taking care of these puppies.If we ever wanted to adopt a second puppy we would definitely get it from them. We did adopt our second puppy from here and they are the best of friends and love each other so much. They keep our life interesting and we feel so empty without them read more

This in NOT A PUPPY MILL! Great volunteer staff and a great cause! Adopted from here 8 months ago and LOVE my dog! Great healthy dog.