Losing your pet is a heartbreaking experience, and choosing a final resting place is a very personal and sometimes difficult decision.

Located on our Quebec Street shelter grounds, the Sheilagh R. Malo Pet Memorial Garden provides a lovely, serene setting for your beloved companion's remains.

The ashes will be placed in a sealed, stainless steel urn. The urn will be interred in a space of your choosing. The entry will be capped with a granite plaque inscribed according to your wishes.

You are welcome to hold a graveside service with family and friends at the time of the interment.

The cost for one pet euthanasia, cremation, urn, space and plaque is $450. The cost for two pets brought to us at the same time is $600. The cost for interring a second pet in the space brought to us at a later time is $250.

All revenue from these services goes toward caring for the animals at our shelters. We hope you will find comfort in knowing that your pet, even in death, is helping the lost and abandoned animals in our care.

You can at any time choose a particular space for your pets in the memorial garden. A deposit of $250 will hold their final resting place. To learn more, please call (303) 751-5772, Ext. 7223.

You are welcome to spend time at your pet's gravesite whenever you wish. We keep the garden open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. We lock the gates on major holidays, as the shelter is closed.

Tribute bricks and naming opportunities

• Personalized brick (4" x 8") in the garden walkway $125
• Personalized brick (8" x 8") in the garden walkway $250
• Bench within the garden $5,000
• Tree within the garden $1,000

For naming opportunities in the Sheilagh R. Malo Pet Memorial Garden please use the mail-order form or to order a tribute brick, please click here to use our secure online ordering form. For other ways to pay tribute to your animal friend, please contact our Development staff at (303) 751-5772, Ext. 7223 or email us at mfrantz@ddfl.org.

Other services
If you need to have your pet put to sleep or would like to learn more about our cremation services, click here.

Who was Sheilagh R. Malo?
For over half a century, Mrs. Sheilagh R. Malo was the very heart and soul of the Dumb Friends League and the best friend a forsaken animal ever had. A member of our Board of Directors for 53 years, Mrs. Malo served as vice president, secretary and treasurer, a position she held for 40 years. With her vision, hard work and devotion, Mrs. Malo was responsible for helping the Dumb Friends League grow into one of the strongest animal protection organizations in the country.

In addition to her passion for animals, Mrs. Malo was also an avid gardener, and it was her dream to build a beautiful garden where people could pay homage to their beloved pets. Named in her honor, the Sheilagh R. Malo Pet Memorial Garden will forever be a reminder of her dedication to homeless animals and her tireless support of the Dumb Friends League.

Promise Walls
The Promise Walls at our Quebec Street shelter will be closed at the end of this year.

The Promise Walls give people an opportunity to pay tribute to a pet or person through purchase of commemorative ceramic paw-print tiles. The walls were established during our Promise Fund capital campaign, which came to a successful conclusion in 2003.

Tiles can be added to the walls until Dec. 31 for a donation of $250 each. All funds will go toward capital improvements at our shelters.

You can order your Promise Wall tile by clicking here to access our secure online form or by printing out a mail-order form (Adobe Acrobat Reader is required) and mailing it to us. If you need additional information or would like a brochure sent to you, please call (303) 671-5212, Ext. 7226, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m..

Buddy Wall
You can celebrate your love for animals, honor a much loved pet, and help the homeless pets in our community all at the same time, by purchasing a commemorative tile which will be added to the Buddy Center Wall at our Buddy Center in Castle Rock.

For a donation of $250, you may choose a 4 x 4 ceramic "pawprint" tile with text.

For a donation of $500 you may choose a 4 x 4 ceramic color photo tile with the photo of your choice. Businesses may choose to place their logo and company name on a tile instead of a photo.

To order your tile, please print out the order form (You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access the form. Click here to obtain Adobe Acrobat Reader software), call (303) 751-5772, Ext. 7223.

Give the gift of hope
A gift to the HOPE fund (Helping Our Pets Endowment) is a way to ensure that homeless animals will be protected and lovingly cared for in years to come.

Endowment gifts provide an endless source of support. These gifts are pooled to earn annual interest and investment income. The income can be spent for current needs while the principal remains untouched.

Here is an example: Assuming a 7 percent rate of return, an endowment gift of $50,000 would provide $3,500 every year to help the animals in our care. With the principal still intact, over 20 years, this gift would generate $70,000, and over 50 years, $175,000. Income from the endowment will help save the lives of thousands of homeless pets.

Helping Our Pets Endowment gifts are subject to the terms and conditions associated with this special fund.

For more information or to begin giving HOPE to thousands of homelsss pets, please call (303) 751-5772, Ext 7083