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.

Pet memorial garden burial is available for a donation of $500. This includes the urn, space and plaque, as well as euthanasia and cremation, if desired.

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. 7227.

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
MEMORIAL GARDEN BRICKS
Your message on a brick in our Sheilagh R. Malo Pet Memorial Garden is a meaningful way to remember a special pet or person. Your message can be etched onto a brick and added to the garden walkway. Messages on small bricks can be two lines long, up to 25 characters per line. On larger bricks, a third line can be added. The minimum donation for small bricks is $350 and for large bricks, $500.

SHELTER LANDSCAPE DEDICATIONS
Existing trees and benches on the beautiful grounds of our shelters can commemorate or celebrate a person or pet. Your message will appear on a terra-cotta brick beneath the tree or bench of your choice. Inscriptions can be up to 75 characters. The minimum donation for a dedicated tree is $1,500 and for a garden bench, $5,000.

KENNEL PLAQUES
You can honor a loved one while keeping homeless pets in mind by dedicating a pet adoption kennel at either of our shelters. Kennel plaques have room for a name, an image and several lines of text. The minimum donation is $10,000 and includes our help with the design.

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. 7227 or email us at tributes@ddfl.org.

Other services
If you need to have your pet euthanized 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) 751-5772, Ext. 7227.

Photo Walls
The name of a person or pet, with an optional color photo, will be printed on a glossy ceramic tile and added to the Buddy Wall at the Buddy Center or the Kindness Wall at the Quebec Street shelter. Inscriptions can be up to 75 characters (fewer if a photo is included). The minimum donation is $350.

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. 7227.

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