Microchipping/Vaccination Clinic at Bigwag

We had a huge turnout for the Microchipping Clinic held at Bigwag on Saturday that was held by Northwest Arkansas Animal Rescue. I volunteer with that group, and it was great to see everyone bringing their dog despite threatening rain that managed to hold off in Rogers at least (see my post about the Skyhoundz K9 Disc Championship).

Mary Lou helping participants fill out their paperwork

This sweet baby is up for adoption at Sugar Creek Animal Rescue. She can't wait for the Bigwag treat I'm about to give her.

Arkansas Animal Cruelty Bill Is Signed Into Law

A bill making aggravated cruelty to cats, dogs and horses a felony on the first offense has been signed into law.

Gov. Mike Beebe on Wednesday signed the bill that makes aggravated animal cruelty on first offense punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and up to six years in prison. The bill also includes a five-year sentencing enhancement for anyone convicted of torturing an animal in the presence of a child.

Animal-welfare groups had sparred with farmers and hunters over past attempts to stiffen the state's animal cruelty laws, but supported this bill after negotiating a compromise. Read the article here.

We for one applaud this - as in "it's about time"! Hopefully this will present a deterrent for those creeps that like to use kittens for target practice. (we're watching you!)

Fayetteville Animal Shelter Offers Free Boarding

The Fayetteville Animal Shelter is offering free boarding to residents without power. According to the Northwest Arkansas Times:

The Fayetteville Animal Shelter is offering free boarding to pet owners without power.

"A lot of folks are trying to tough it out at home, while some people are bringing their pets with them to work," Jill Hatfield, Fayetteville Animal Shelter superintendent, said. "We just want people to know that we are the site for sheltering if people need a temporary place for their animals during the power outage."

Hatfield said the shelter won't charge impound or boarding fees, but all animals must be vaccinated and have a city license.

The shelter lost power at about 2 p.m. Tuesday. Electricity was restored Thursday.

All animals in the shelter made it through the power outage safely.

"It was really tough," Hatfield said. "We gave lots of blankets to everyone and made sure they had fresh food and water. We don't have a generator here, but it's definitely something we'll be looking into soon. We may see if we're eligible for some type of [Federal Emergency Management Agency] assistance."

Although Jill is offering this service for free, she states that most animals adapt to the cold quite easily, as long as they have shelter, food and water. Animals at the shlter were all fine as they were without power from Tuesday through Thursday. The best place for the pets is with their owners.

This would be a great alternative people who still do not have any power, and have several BIG dogs, and taking them to a hotel is not really an option.

This is one of those rare instances where I wished I owned a boarding facility so that we could follow suite. Getting to help out our community is a big driving force for what we do with the resacues and shelters, and from a marketing stand point, this would have been a GREAT opportunity for a local shelter here in Benton County, or even a boarding facility to step up and help out.

Kudos for Jill - This was a win-win all the way around.

Springdale Animal Shelter Helps Out

Caught this interesting post from an email. Not sure which paper it was from. I think it's great to see this kind of community support!

Animal Shelter Helps Out
Reported by: Brad Reed
Wednesday, Nov 19, 2008 @10:15pm CST

For pet owners who are struggling to make ends meet -- help is on the
way. The Springdale Animal shelter is offering free dog food, cat food
and kitty litter to those who really need it.

"We're here for the animals, but we're also here for the people, too.,"
says Lindsey Droste, Manager of the Springdale Animal Shelter. "If
they're in a hard time, we want to help them out and we want to help
them keep their pet."

You can also get help from the Humane Society of the Ozarks. They offer
an Emergency Outreach Fund to those in need.

Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament

Northwest Arkansas Animal Rescue held their first annual Texas Hold’em poker tournament November 8^th, 2008 to help raise funds for a mobile spay-neuter clinic, cover NWAAR operating costs and to protect animals. Over sixty five people came to watch and participate in Northwest Arkansas Animal Rescue’s first annual Texas Hold’em poker tournament fund raiser. Play was intense with players wanting to win the grand prize a 50” flat screen television. Players started entering the event at the Rogers-Bentonville Elk’s Lodge BPOE #2144 at one in the afternoon. Play began at two with sixty five players with Chris Peplinski of the Northwest Arkansas Poker Club overseeing play. Intense play continued until almost nine that evening. Drawings were made throughout the event for prizes ranging from gift certificates to a paint ball gun. People played at side tables entertaining themselves while waiting for the final winner to be announced.

Final play came down to the last table consisting of nine players. Onlookers watched as play slowly came down to the final grand prize winner Richard Coleman. Mr. Coleman had just lost his television and was very happy to win the 50” flat screen television.

Northwest Arkansas Animal Rescue held their first annual Texas Hold’em poker tournament November 8^th, 2008 to help raise funds for a mobile spay-neuter clinic, cover NWAAR operating costs and to protect animals. Northwest Arkansas Animal Rescue would like to extend a special thank you to Chris and Chrissy Peplinski for assisting NWAAR with organizing and holding the event. NWAAR would also like to thank all the sponsors, players and volunteers for their contributions. Just over two thousand seven hundred dollars was made during this event.

Who: Northwest Arkansas Animal Rescue
What: First Annual Poker Tournament Fund Raiser
Where: Rogers-Bentonville Elk’s Lodge BPOE #2144 located at 501 South 40th Street, Rogers
When: November 8th, 2008
Why: To help NWAAR raise funds for a mobile spay-neuter clinic, cover NWAAR operating costs and to protect animals
E-mail: spaynwa@yahoo.com
Phone: 479-439-7978
Website: www.nwa-animalrescue.blogspot.com
Founder: Mandy Keenen
Media contact: Pam Lamb