Non-profit that saves dogs from euthanasia raising money to buy new van – 9News.com KUSA

Hwy 50 Freedom Ride saves about 300 dogs per year from getting put down. They pick up animals from rural shelters held by animal control that aren't claimed

DENVER A non-profit from the Denver metro area needs help so they can continue saving animas from euthanasia.

Hwy 50 Freedom Ride was founded by Brittany Higgins. Volunteers with her team pick up animals weekly from animal control organizations in rural areas. All of the animals are strays that have not been claimed by owners. The team usually travels to La Junta, Rocky Ford and other surrounding communities.

Once they pick up the animals, they are then connected with animal rescues in the Denver-metro area. Foster families take in the animals or they go to shelters to get adopted.

Every year, Hwy 50 Freedom Ride saves hundreds of animals from getting put down. Higgins estimates she and her team have saved over 2,500 dogs in the last decade or so.

"When I get to say that dog is safe and we get them in the car, and I see them get out of the car and they are smiling and they are wiggling, and they know they are safe, it means everything to me," Higgins said. "It makes all my stress every week worth it."

Right now, the non-profit is operating without a van. As a result, Higgins said volunteers are traveling hundreds of miles monthly in their own personal vehicles to pick up the dogs.

Sometimes, she said volunteers are making multiple trips from Denver to rural areas because they don't have enough space in the cars to accommodate all of the animals.

Higgins and her team said they desperately need a van to continue their work, so they can make weekly trips just once or twice.

"It would be really helpful to us, really useful, to go down in one shot, get all the dogs out in one trip and be able to keep our volunteers happy and they want to keep doing this," said Higgins.

Higgins said she is hoping to fundraise enough for a new van before the summer, which is the season they see the most animals in need of homes.

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Non-profit that saves dogs from euthanasia raising money to buy new van - 9News.com KUSA