A dog named April, who once waited for adoption at Summit County Animal Control and Shelter in Frisco, has turned into the reason her old shelter just received a $20,000 grant. After Andy adopted her, April became his hiking partner, road trip companion and, according to the Summit County Sheriff's Office on Facebook, dipped her paws in two oceans and visited 23 states with him.
The grant came through Petco Love's national Love Stories campaign, which recognized Andy and April's adoption story as one of its top 10 winners for 2026, according to a Summit County Sheriff's Office Facebook post sharing photos from Petco Love. The campaign, run by the national nonprofit behind pet adoption and shelter funding programs, awarded a total of $250,000 across 10 winning animal welfare organizations nationwide this year, with grants ranging from $10,000 up to a $100,000 grand prize, according to Petco Love.
Summit County Animal Control made April's adoption match possible in the first place, and the shelter says April has continued to visit and inspire the people who once cared for her. Andy, reflecting on the leap of adopting April and building a life with her, said, “We have no idea how beautiful life can be until we walk into the unknown with a heart full of love and courage.”
How the Grant Fits Into a Bigger Program
Petco Love has run its Love Stories initiative since 2013, and in that time it has received over 25,000 adoption story submissions from pet owners nationwide and granted more than $8 million to partner shelters and rescues, per the same organization's account of the program. Petco Love, founded in 1999 as the Petco Foundation, has invested nearly $441 million overall into pet adoption programs, shelter support, and low-cost veterinary care across North America, according to a 2026 press release document reviewed by csnip.org.
Summit County Animal Control and Shelter operates out of Frisco as an open-admission facility under the Summit County Sheriff's Office, serving unincorporated Summit County along with Blue River, Breckenridge, Dillon, Frisco and Silverthorne, according to the Summit County Sheriff's Office. The shelter recorded a 98% live release rate for dogs and cats in 2023 while following Socially Conscious Animal Sheltering principles, the sheriff's office says.
Grant Money Helps Transfer Pets From Other States
Supported by grants and community donations, the shelter also runs an animal transfer program that brings adoptable pets to Frisco from overburdened shelters in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Kansas, with volunteer drivers assisting in the transports. Money like the $20,000 award tied to April's story helps fund that broader lifesaving capacity beyond Summit County's borders.
Locally, Summit County requires dog licensing in unincorporated areas and select towns, and charges standard adoption fees of $150 for dogs and $175 for puppies to cover spay and neuter surgery, vaccinations, microchipping, and initial licensing. Those fees and grants like Petco Love's help keep the open-admission model running for animals of every age, health status and temperament that come through the shelter's doors.
April's story arrives amid a broader push around lost-and-found pet technology. Petco Love also maintains Petco Love Lost, a free national database that uses AI facial recognition to scan pet photos and cross-reference them with shelter intake records, according to The Washington Post. Industry estimates reported in March indicated roughly 1 in 3 pets go missing during their lifetime, with such AI tools facilitating about 2,500 pet-owner reunions per week nationwide, the newspaper reported.
A Familiar Name in Summit County Animal Stories
Summit County Animal Control has popped up in Hoodline's coverage before, including a cat's wild I-70 tunnel dash that brought traffic to a halt this summer, when the shelter assisted state authorities with a lost pet rescue. April's story, though, is a happier bookend: a shelter dog who left Frisco years ago and, through one adopter's willingness to hit the road with her, ended up sending real money back to the place that first gave her a chance.
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