In a small orange building on South Broadway lies Soul Dog Rescue & Humane Society, which is a thrift store with a big heart for serving animals and people in Englewood and neighboring communities.

With less than 700 square feet, the store is often filled with various merchandise including dog products, clothing, jewelry, kitchenware and more.  

Englewood resident and three-year volunteer Wendi Roth said the store is operated by about 10 volunteers of multiple ages.  

“I think the volunteers here (are) all happy and we love it here. We don’t have a boss and we work well together,” she said. “We get a lot of really positive comments.”  

Longtime volunteer Janet Yench said the store opened its doors in 2011 and is an extension of the nonprofit animal rescue organization, Soul Dog Rescue.  

“We leased (the building) and painted it orange because it’s Soul Dog’s color,” Yench said. 

Soul Dog, which began work in 2010, provides spay and neuter, vaccinations and other services to assist with issues of overpopulation and a lack of resources for dogs and other animals in the Four Corners region. The nonprofit promotes “responsible rescue” tactics to assist with these struggles on the tribal lands in that area.  

Roth said the idea for the store came from founder and director of Soul Dog, Shelby Davis. 

“Before she opened the store, she spent a lot of time in the Four Corners area and she would bring dogs back, but she realized that that wasn’t going to address the issue,” Roth said. “She coordinated a spay and neuter program and had to pay for it somehow, and I think that’s where the idea for the store came from.” 

She said they stock the store with quality products for reasonable prices and accept donations from people in the community. 

“We take donations down to reservations and that’s a big piece of what we do,” Roth said. 

Volunteers will take clothes, dog harnesses, leashes and other necessities to the tribal lands. 

Roth said proceeds from the thrift go back into the function of the store and assisting with costs for the spay and neuter program.  

“Our primary mission is to help the spay and neuter program for Soul Dog Rescue on the reservation lands,” Roth said. “We pay for gas. We pay for supplies. We’ll pay for lodging just so they can keep that program going.”  

Roth said there is now a Soul Dog shelter in Fort Lupton, which also provides a spay and neuter clinic.

Yench said spaying and neutering dogs and cats can limit health and quality of life issues for the animals in the Four Corners region.  

“Overpopulation kills. We pick up animals that are skin and bones. Worms coming out at both ends. They’re not vaccinated,” Yench said. “As long as they’re able to reproduce that’s what they’re going to do.”  

Roth said Soul Dog hosts weekend spay and neuter clinics as much as possible and during those events the organization can see up to 200 animals. 

Both volunteers said the organization will take whatever people can afford when it conducts clinics on tribal lands even if it’s nothing. 

“Soul Dog will do it anyway for the sake of the animals,” Yench said.  

The store is described by volunteer Kimberleigh Anders as a fun, welcoming place for both dogs and people. Anders said she became a volunteer three years ago after stumbling upon the store and its mission while thrifting.  

“We are making a difference in animals' lives. It’s going straight to the animals,” Anders said.  

Yench said in addition to animals and people in the Four Corners area, the Soul Dog Rescue & Humane Society thrift store serves those unhoused in the Englewood community. 

“If they need a pair of shoes, a coat, a shirt, a jacket or whatever, any of the volunteers will buy it for them,” Yench said.  

Both Yench and Roth said over the last few years the store has grown its customer base and its merchandise. 

Going forward, Roth hopes for the store to continue its growth and that it will continue to provide support for Soul Dog’s spay and neuter program. 

“My dream would be that we could keep going for several more years,” Roth said. 

For more information regarding Soul Dog Rescue visit Soul Dog Rescue.