Dog News

Colorado Makes Shelter Dogs and Cats Their Official State Pet

by ADMIN

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Governor Hickenlooper at the ceremony.

On Monday Colorado not only signed into law legislation that requires police to undergo training to prevent animals from being shot, it became the 12th state to designate an official state pet. The previous states to select a state pet have selected a specific breed, but Colorado chose shelter dogs and cats as their official state pets. An idea suggested by school children.

Governor John Hickenlooper signed into law that shelter dogs and cats are the official state pet on Monday during a ceremony that his own rescue dog Sky attended. By naming shelter dogs and cats as the official state pet Colorado hopes to bring more awareness to the shelter pets that need homes.

The idea to select shelter dogs and cats came from Colorado school children who were working on a project to teach them about the legislative process. The bill faced opposition from lobbyists representing purebred dog clubs, retailers, groomers and dog-show organizers. The children prevailed though.