PARKER, Colo. — Are puppy adoptions down? It's a question Colorado Puppy Rescue says they have been asking themselves more and more over the last year.
"Typically [people] adopt anywhere from I would say 80-90% of any of the dogs that are available that weekend," Brittany Krumholz said.
Krumholz is the Executive Director for Colorado Puppy Rescue.
During an adoption event Saturday, 26 of the 43 dogs available found their forever home, Krumholz shared with Denver7's Tyler Melito.
According to a Shelter Animals Count report, "In the first half of 2025, about 1.9 million dogs and cats were adopted nationwide — a slight 1% decrease compared to the same period in 2024."
But unfortunately, Krumholz said they have seen more and more dogs being sent back to the rescue.
"I think there's just a lot of people are having housing issues combining households," Krumholz said. "There's a lot of dogs that we adopted out previously, you know, five, six, seven, years ago, where people are asking to return their dogs because, you know, their housing situation has changed, and they cannot have them anymore."
As has been the case for a lot of things, the price of pet ownership has skyrocketed.
A 2025 report by the Wall Street Journal found one-time costs for a pet range from $1,100 to $4,400. This includes adoption fees, vaccines and training.
Annual costs for food, supplies, grooming and boarding can cost upward of $5,000 depending on the quality of product.
"I don't care what your financial situation is — this is a drastic thing to take on, and you can do it feasibly, but it, you know, it takes leg work," Krumholz said.
And because of the cost, Krumholz says they have made changes to the adoption process.
"We've altered our adoption application a little bit to include some of the standard costs, because I don't think people necessarily would understand, if you don't have a dog, that a quality bag of dog food is" $80 to $100, Krumholz said.
Despite the challenges, some families are still adding to their homes.
Jackson and Maisy Maruschak went to Colorado Puppy Rescue on Saturday to find a sibling for their first dog, Walt.
"You can't put a price on happiness. I mean, look at that cute little face," Jackson Maruschak said of their newest four legged family member, Winnie.
Krumholz noted that despite the current economic hurdles, the local community remains supportive.
"We are extremely fortunate for to be surrounded by the people of Colorado. Our adoptions are night and day between other states," Krumholz said. Colorado was second in the nation for adopting from shelters, with 11.31 adoptions per 1,000 people, according to a 2023 report based on data from Shelter Animals Count.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.