It was like a dogfight at the Senate Education Committee on Thursday afternoon.

The battle to make dogs and cats adopted from shelter and rescue centers the official state pet pitted schoolkids against professional lobbyists representing purebred dog clubs, retailers, groomers and dog-show organizers.

The bill ultimately passed, 6-3, but there were moments when the students from Peakview School in Walsenburg thought their project, designed to help them learn about the legislative process, could go either way.

So many people arrived to testify that stragglers were left to find seats in the overflow room. Dog leashes stretched across the packed hallway, obstacles for the unwary, and piercing barks interrupted testimony. Griffin Kerr, the 3-year-old son of the bill’s sponsor, Andy Kerr, D-Lakewood, cavorted around the room dressed as a spotted dog because his preschool had just celebrated Dalmatian Day.

And that was just the sideshow.

Testimony started with Roger Arellano, 14, who had arrived on a bus from Walsenburg with other middle-schoolers from Peakview who had been researching the bill.

“It’s important to honor the voice of the voiceless,” he said.

Speaking up on behalf of shelter and rescue dogs is “a matter of life and death” for millions of dogs and cats, he said. “And you can save a lot of money compared to getting them from a pet store.”

This did not go over well with supporters of the pet industry.

“The language of the bill honors the transaction, saying the only qualified state pet is adopted from shelter and rescue,” said Dan Anglin of Anglin Public Affairs.

Anglin represents the Colorado Federation of Dog Clubs, which holds dog shows, and the Colorado Pet Association, a group of animal retailers, groomers and breeders.

“The state already honors that with a license plate,” said Anglin, who added that the economic impact of American Kennel Club purebred dog ownership in Colorado was an estimated $20.48 million each year.

There was another problem with the bill.

“It unfairly discriminates against birds, reptiles, arachnids and other mammals,” he said. “And snakes, lizards and spiders.”

Many opponents said the bill should focus on heroic dogs, such as service dogs, law enforcement dogs, cadaver dogs and military dogs.

Then, patriotism was invoked.

“We do our share too,” said Karen Kotke-Partington, a member of the Norfolk Terrier Club. “When a puppy owner went to Iraq, we took care of the puppy,” she said, adding that when the soldier returned, the dog meant everything to him.

Interloper Skyler Kuykendall, a fifth-grader at Rooney Ranch Elementary School in Lakewood, sought to amend the bill to include the golden retriever as the state dog.

With his golden retriever, Boz, at his side, he ticked off a list of reasons including “brown eyes like the Rocky Mountains” and “golden color that is like all of the gold that has been found in Colorado.”

The Walsenburg students sat in the back, rapt at democracy in action.

“The argument swung between service dogs and shelter dogs,” said Kaylee Summers, 14. “It was difficult to decide, because both sides made sense.”

Colleen O’Connor: 303-954-1083, coconnor@denverpost.com or twitter.com/coconnordp