The Portfolio of Elizabeth Seitzinger

It was a cold spring evening when Hope the Truck arrived at the parking lot of PetSmart, where many families waited joyfully to meet their new family member. Cookie was one of the dogs rescued and cared for until she was adopted and found a loving home. The 4-month-old Golden Labradoodle was in desperate need of care and there was one organization willing to do anything to help her. 

Hope for Paws Colorado is a non-profit animal shelter that helps with hundreds of pets in bad situations like Cookie. Animal neglect and abuse is a huge issue worldwide. According to the Humane Society, “there are approximately 70 million pet dogs and 74.1 million pet cats in the U.S. where 20 men and women are assaulted per minute.” 

Based out of Parker, Colorado, Hope for Paws travels to many regions in the Mid-West and Southern states to rescue and transport neglected animals. The organization gives them proper care while working with shelters and foster families to find them a new home. Hope the Truck is their trusted vehicle that travels to far areas such as Missouri, just to rescue many animals like Cookie the dog. 

Julie Jury is the founder and executive director of Hope for Paws Colorado. The organization is volunteer based and works with a variety of animal shelters to save animals, mainly dogs, in bad situations. “We started Hope for Paws Colorado with the transports and expanded from there,” said Jury, “My husband had this van made with fully customizable space for kennel crates, insulated walls, a heating and air conditioning unit.” Their other van, Fath, lives in Kansas City and helps transports from further states like Arkansas meet with Hope. “Our main goal is to bring animals from poor situations to a new, happy life,” said Jury,

Jury founded Hope for Paws in 2016 and says the organization’s success has skyrocketed since its creation. “We have transported over 8,500 dogs, giving them the second chance that they otherwise might not get,” said Jury. The organization also provides education on responsible pet ownership and things like spaying and neutering. 

Hope and Faith the trucks have scheduled meeting times and transports on their website, https://www.hopeforpawscolorado.com/events/. Volunteers and Hope for Paws members in Colorado meet with adopters or foster families to bring their rescues home and help with paperwork. The meetings usually occur at the PetSmart parking lot in Aurora, Colorado, mainly so people can get supplies for their new family member. 

Emilee Ovind is a Hope for Paws regular volunteer who helps with transports, adoptions and cleaning. She explained that the organization does a lot for the community by saving strays or animals in high kill shelters. “They would also spread knowledge about the conditions animals were in in other states or in certain shelters,” she said, “ Overall, they saved a lot of dogs lives and gave them a new beginning they otherwise may not have received.”

Through her love for volunteering and helping animals, Emilee decided to adopt her own rescues named Olivia and Whiskey. “ I also have helped other friends adopt their fur babies through the rescue which has made me super happy knowing they went to really great homes after having such a rough start to life,” she said. 

When Cookie arrived at the PetSmart for the transport, she was one of the only dogs not adopted yet. I absolutely fell in love with her and applied for adoption. I was shortly later notified that Cookie was mine after some paperwork and approval and I couldn’t be happier taking this beautiful puppy home.

Hope for Paws is a caring organization that works hard to better their community and give animals like Cookie a new beginning. For more information to donate or get your own little family member, visit https://www.hopeforpawscolorado.com/about-us/