06/27/2025
I dont like to make such long posts, so I apologize, but I want to share some very important information with all of you. And I ask that you all read AND share this, because we are in a public health crisis.
Arkansas is facing a stark crisis. According to the Arkansas Animal Welfare Alliance, an estimated 6,000+ pets were killed in shelters in 2024, with approximately 30% of shelter animals euthanized due to overcrowding . The Best Friends Animal Society confirms these alarming figures: in 2023 alone, 6,300 animals—including over 4,500 dogs—were euthanized statewide . While the national save-rate hovers around 83%, Arkansas’ rate lags slightly at 79% .
Overcrowding is no myth. Northwest shelters, including Fayetteville Animal Services and Big Paws of the Ozarks, regularly exceed capacity—sometimes by dozens, causing turn-aways and animals left on streets . Rural counties like Independence, Jonesboro, and Batesville also report chronic overpopulation; one shelter built for 45 dogs currently houses 65!
Arkansas’ public shelters are working around the clock. In Fayetteville, 1,253 animals entered the shelter in 2024, of which 765 were adopted and only 48 were euthanized—one of the lowest euthanasia rates ever recorded locally . Fayetteville Animal Services also reunited nearly 400 pets with their owners and orchestrated over 1,200 spay/neuter surgeries.
Elsewhere, hot spots like Pulaski County (Little Rock/North Little Rock) saw over 48,000 animals enter shelters in 2022, with about 5,000 euthanized.
Yet rural jurisdictions such as Faulkner County still struggle with underfunded shelters.
As public/government shelters buckle, independent rescue groups are picking up slack with remarkable commitment. Below are just a handful of the hundreds of rescue groups throughout the state. Any Arkansas based rescue group is welcome to comment or message me with their statistics and I will updatete it to the list.
• 🐾 The Artemis Project , a western Arkansas Rescue that rescues animals in Arkansas & Oklahoma, is a volunteer lead group with almost 100 volunteers with three times as many fosters. In 2024 they rescued almost 3000 abandoned, abused, surrendered, and neglected anilmals.
• 🐾 Rescue Road, a Central Arkansas volunteer group, “pulled 580 dogs from kill shelters in 2023” and to date has saved 9000+ dogs.
• 🐾 Last Chance Arkansas, a 100% volunteer nonprofit, travels statewide to rescue neglected animals and is known for spay/neuter outreach.
• 🐾 NovaStar Rescue, a a Dover AR based rescue organization, takes in 30-50 dogs per month and has a volunteer base of only ten people.
These independent shelters/rescues rely almost entirely on volunteers, foster homes, and donations. They often transport many of the rescues out of Arkansas to surrounding states, even as far as several New England states. They address critical gaps in capacity and resources—especially in rural and underfunded communities.
Why is this Is a “Public Health” Issue?
The effects of neglect and abandonment ripple beyond welfare:
• Overpopulation strains resources: Public and private shelters struggle to keep pace, leaving animals in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions and promotes cage aggression.
• Zoonotic threats (disease that can be transmitted to humans): Overcrowded animals with poor veterinary care and hygiene can spread disease to humans, especially in rural areas.
• Economic burden: Millions are spent capturing, sheltering, and euthanizing unwanted pets—costs borne by taxpayers and donors alike.
Here are a few solutions to help end the crisis that need far more support:
🐾 We need statewide spay/neuter mandates—mandatory sterilization, and microchipping especially in high-intake counties.
🐾 We need strict and enforceable regulation of commercial breeders (including backyard breeders)—Arkansas is among the top 10 puppy mill states with virtually zero oversight.
🐾 We need funding partnerships— demanding and leveraging state and federal support to build capacity at local public/government shelters and promote low-cost/no cost clinics and outreach.
🐾 We need more rescue–shelter coordination—like Fayetteville partnering with Big Paws and Arkansas Animal Welfare Alliance; such models dramatically reduce euthanasia rates.
🐾 We need extensive public awareness campaigns—to shift behavior away from backyard breeding toward adoption, foster care, and sterilization initiatives.
Arkansas shelters and rescues are at a tipping point. Public facilities are showing remarkable progress where supported, but much of the state—particularly rural areas—remains underserved. Independent rescues are heroic, but cannot scale without systemic change, funding, and regulation.
If we as a state want to curb euthanasia and address this health crisis, we must:
• Enact breeding oversight laws,
• Expand sterilization efforts,
• Invest in shelters across all counties, and
• Support the volunteer-driven networks doing the hard work every day.
It’s not just a matter of compassion—it’s a public responsibility.
Jan Morgan Sarah Huckabee Sanders Leslie Rutledge Arkansas Senate Arkansas House of Representatives Paul Mueller Jak's Second Chance Rescue Ranch Best Friends Animal Society Humane Society of Pulaski CountyHumane Society of Independence County Humane Society of Searcy Humane Society of Saline County Humane Society of Faulkner County
