Commissioners approve $200,000 to Journey Home Animal Care Center after presentation on services and demand
February 09, 2026 | Garfield County, Colorado
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Garfield County commissioners voted Feb. 9 to award a budgeted $200,000 grant to Journey Home Animal Care Center to support general operations including veterinary care, community clinics and outreach programs.
Heather Grant, the shelter's executive director, told the Board the shelter sheltered 1,146 animals in 2025 and performed 1,087 spay/neuter procedures, and that the organization operated a pet food pantry that distributed 4,500 pounds of dry food across Garfield County mobile sites. "That's 1,087 animals that are no longer reproducing, and reducing the amount of homeless animals in our communities," Grant said during the presentation.
Why it matters: Commissioners pressed on how animals are brought to the facility, geographic intake patterns and the shelter's capacity. Journey Home staff said intake is a mix of owner surrenders, community drop-offs and animals brought in by municipal contracts; staff identified Garfield County and the city of Rifle as primary sources of intake and said the shelter receives contract payments per animal from municipalities for services rendered.
Services and limits: Journey Home detailed services including its TNR (trap-neuter-release) program for feral cats, vaccination clinics, volunteer coordination, and a limited ability to provide emergency surgical care for community animals; the shelter said severe emergency surgeries are typically referred to specialized clinics (for example, Grand Junction) because Journey Home lacks overnight intensive care and boarding licensure. The shelter confirmed it has 14 staff and roughly 50 volunteers and said most of the requested county funding would support salaries and general operations.
Board action: Commissioners moved and seconded a motion to approve the $200,000 request as a budgeted item; the meeting record shows the motion carried with two votes in favor and one opposed.
Next steps: Journey Home staff invited commissioners to tour the facility and offered additional budget detail on municipality contributions and fundraising sources upon request.
Heather Grant, the shelter's executive director, told the Board the shelter sheltered 1,146 animals in 2025 and performed 1,087 spay/neuter procedures, and that the organization operated a pet food pantry that distributed 4,500 pounds of dry food across Garfield County mobile sites. "That's 1,087 animals that are no longer reproducing, and reducing the amount of homeless animals in our communities," Grant said during the presentation.
Why it matters: Commissioners pressed on how animals are brought to the facility, geographic intake patterns and the shelter's capacity. Journey Home staff said intake is a mix of owner surrenders, community drop-offs and animals brought in by municipal contracts; staff identified Garfield County and the city of Rifle as primary sources of intake and said the shelter receives contract payments per animal from municipalities for services rendered.
Services and limits: Journey Home detailed services including its TNR (trap-neuter-release) program for feral cats, vaccination clinics, volunteer coordination, and a limited ability to provide emergency surgical care for community animals; the shelter said severe emergency surgeries are typically referred to specialized clinics (for example, Grand Junction) because Journey Home lacks overnight intensive care and boarding licensure. The shelter confirmed it has 14 staff and roughly 50 volunteers and said most of the requested county funding would support salaries and general operations.
Board action: Commissioners moved and seconded a motion to approve the $200,000 request as a budgeted item; the meeting record shows the motion carried with two votes in favor and one opposed.
Next steps: Journey Home staff invited commissioners to tour the facility and offered additional budget detail on municipality contributions and fundraising sources upon request.
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