VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Looking for a fun way to get your steps in? Want to create your own volunteer schedule? Come walk some dogs at the ARL!
We have a half-mile walking trail that circles our Main campus and is used year-round for walking our dogs. The dogs LOVE spending time outside and it’s an easy way to change the lives of dogs looking for homes!
Worried about having time to volunteer? You can sign up for any time you want to come walk dogs, even if it’s just an hour at a time! No matter how many dogs you walk, you’ll make a difference for each and every one.
To start volunteering, sign up for a volunteer information session at https://ow.ly/6IEC50TVVPK! Can’t find a session that works for you? Email Molly at [email protected] to get started.
Check out Ruby (available for adoption) enjoying the walking trail with one of our volunteers!
NEW ADOPTION LOCATION! We’re excited to share that we’re partnering with Canine Country Club to expand adoption opportunities in West Des Moines! The new adoption location, ARL Club WDM, is located at Canine Country Club and will help connect even more pets with loving homes in the West Des Moines area.
ARL Club WDM is open NOW, so come see the adoptable dogs waiting to meet you! See who’s there by heading to https://ow.ly/rH0Z50TG7op and looking for dogs with a location of “ARL Club WDM.”
P.S.: Want to help with the new location? You can donate needed items! Our biggest needs are KONGs, Nylabones and peanut butter. Donations can be dropped off at our Main location at 5452 NE 22nd St., or shipped directly to us by purchasing from our Amazon, Chewy or Walmart wish lists. See more needed items at https://ow.ly/Mk0650TG7or.
HOW CUTE IS THIS? These two cats are having fun playing together through their kennels while they wait for their new homes! Lionel (top kennel) and Eros (bottom kennel) are both available for adoption at ARL Main and can't wait to meet you!
Learn about these playful boys and all our other adoptable cats at https://ow.ly/IO1i50TxHhl!
LAST CHANCE: Only a few hours left to make 4X the difference for homeless pets! Make a gift before midnight and your gift will be QUADRUPLED – up to $23,000 – thanks to a generous matching gift from Fetch Pet Insurance.
Just click the button below, go to https://ow.ly/AheV50TujXR, or give via Venmo @ ARL-Iowa.
Your gift will go 4X as far to help pets like these adorable little kittens snoozing in our Kitten Nursery!
HOW CUTE IS THIS? Our CyHawk Kickoff Pawty and Adoption Event is going on today until 7 p.m. at ARL Main and ARL Animal Services. We have $35 adoptions, a chance to win free pet food for a year, and a Totally Rolled Ice Cream truck on site at ARL Main until 3 p.m.! The truck is giving out free pup cups with every purchase and our adoptable dogs have been loving them! Come out and join the pawty!
See all of our adoptable pets, including these cuties enjoying their pup cups, at ARL-Iowa.org!
BEHIND THE SCENES: Keeping pets happy, busy, and engaged is important to their health and well-being, and we do everything we can to make each pet’s stay with us as comfortable as possible.
There are many ways we provide enrichment for the dogs in our care every day, including toys and KONGs filled with peanut butter like the ones these dogs are enjoying! The dogs loved trying to get every last bit of peanut butter out.
Activities like these are just one way we help dogs keep their brains and bodies busy while they wait to find their new families!
Does your pup need a new activity? Try this out at home!
Looking for a new dog friend? Come visit our adoptable dogs at ARL Main and ARL Animal Services today! You can see all our available pets at ARL-Iowa.org!
LOGGING OFF? Whether you’re taking a day off for Labor Day or just some rest and relaxation, our adoptable pets can help you write your out-of-office autoresponder! For just $15, an adoptable pet will type up the purr-fect message sure to give your email list a chuckle.
You can sign up to receive your Out of Paw-ffice message any time before midnight on Aug. 27 and an adoptable pet will get started on your email response right away! Your response will be emailed to you by Aug. 28.
Set your response as your automatic reply when you’re out of the paw-ffice and make sure to share it on social media with #outofpawffice!
Get your out of paw-ffice response at https://ow.ly/Q7kj50T1zNl.
HAZEL UPDATE: Remember Hazel, the dog who came to us emaciated and severely dehydrated? She has slowly gained some much-needed weight and is feeling so much better under the care of our Miracle Medical Team!
When she first came to us, she was so weak that she couldn’t walk. Now, she comes right up when she sees us, loves spending time with our shelter staff, and is always walking around with a toy in her mouth!
Thanks to you, Hazel is happy and returning to health. We're hoping she'll soon be ready to be spayed so she can find the loving family she has always deserved!
Read Hazel's original story here: https://ow.ly/wK8450SZPss
MICROCHIP SUCCESS: 12-year-old Arlo went missing last night after disappearing from his family’s yard during his evening potty break. Arlo’s family started looking for him immediately, knowing he doesn’t hear as well as he used to and might not hear them calling him if he got too far. They stayed out searching until close to midnight, but eventually had to go home.
When Arlo came through our doors after being picked up by a good Samaritan, we did what we do for every pet who comes to the shelter: we scanned him for a microchip. Thankfully, Arlo did have a microchip and we were able to quickly get his family’s information! We called his family, and his mom came running! She was so relieved that Arlo was safe couldn’t wait to get him back home. When Arlo saw his mom, he was just as excited as she was! His little tail started wagging like crazy and he ran right up to her. He even gave her a couple face kisses! Arlo’s mom told us that he had been part of their family for 10 years and his three human siblings and dog best friend couldn’t wait to see him. Now, thanks to a microchip, Arlo is back home where he belongs with the family who loves him.
Arlo’s microchip was the reason we were able to reunite him with his family so quickly, and his story is a reminder of the importance of making sure your pets are microchipped and their information is up-to-date. The ARL offers low-cost microchipping to help as many pets as possible be reunited with their families. To learn more, head to https://ow.ly/Wh8H50SrbtS.
BRUCE UPDATE: Remember Bruce, the draft horse who was 500 pounds underweight and being forced to pull a carriage at the time of his rescue? We're happy to share that he is thriving under the care of our Second Chance Ranch team and equine veterinarians.
Bruce has now gained about 200 pounds and has started showing his youthful personality. He has been loving playing and interacting with the other horses in our care, and he continues to be curious and kind. He still has about 300 pounds to gain before he is at an ideal weight for his breed, but he is well on the path to recovery thanks to you.
Enjoy this video of Bruce!
SPOIL YOUR PET! It’s National Spoil Your Dog Day, and we make it easy to spoil any type of pet at our Animal House retail store! Check out all the cool items we have for you and your pet!
You can come shop in person at our ARL Main location or shop online at https://ow.ly/xgs850SV4fe. There’s no sales tax and all proceeds go directly to the homeless pets in our care!
BONUS: Coming to the Iowa State Fair? Visit our booth in the Varied Industries Building to shop there, too!
WOW! A huge THANK YOU to everyone who responded to our call and donated Churu, KONGs, fly spray and more this past week! Thanks to you, we have lots of happy pets enjoying these items right now.
Check out this video of some pets putting your donations to good use!
If you missed out this week and still want to help with needed items, check out our Fetch List at https://ow.ly/xa7K50SV3F0!
LAST CHANCE! Only a few hours left to make 10X the difference for homeless pets on our Day of Giving! Make a gift before midnight and your donation will be matched TEN TIMES – up to $25,000 – thanks to a generous matching gift from American Equity.
Just click the button below, go to https://ow.ly/pEoS50SNar3, or give via Venmo @ ARL-Iowa.
Your gift will go 10X as far to help pets like these adorable kittens currently in our care!
GREAT NEWS: Bug came to us missing almost all of his quills. Now, he has made an amazing recovery and even found a new family! Check out this video of his journey!
PUPPY MILL UPDATE: Many of the dogs from our intake of 46 dogs last week came in matted, dirty, and in desperate need of grooming. Thanks to an amazing group of volunteer and staff groomers, over the next couple of days we were able to get all the dogs groomed that needed it!
One of the most badly matted dogs was Janine. When she arrived, we were very concerned about her – not just because of her terrible mats, but because she appeared to be completely shut down emotionally – she didn’t want to move or engage with people at all. We thought she’d likely need a lot of help from our behavior team to help come out of her shell.
However, during her grooming, as her tight, painful mats were shaved away, she began to open up. It took nearly two hours to get rid of every last mat, but once she was done, Janine began moving around like a normal dog, showing her sweet personality and playing freely with her kennel mates! She is now in a foster home for some extra socialization, but she is doing very well and we’re excited about her progress!
Thanks so much to the grooming volunteers who gathered to help these dogs on such short notice!
Read the original story here: https://ow.ly/Uwbg50SEJXn
