Just six more weeks to Spring. We are ready and I am sure you are too. With spring comes buds and blooms, baby birds and warmer days. But the downside of Spring is more unwanted puppies and kittens. We work hard all year long to reduce pet overpopulation, but we need your help. Our next low cost Spay & Neuter Clinic is scheduled for April 5th thru 7th. We have spaces for approximately 150 animals to have surgery in three days. If you have a pet that needs to get into our clinic, we will start making reservations the week of February 14th. All you need to do is call the Shelter and give your name, phone number and some basic information about the animal. The cost is $55 for a cat and $80 for a dog under 70 lbs. The price for dogs goes up in increments based on the dog’s weight. This includes surgery and a rabies vaccine. If you are at the Federal Poverty Level, we do have some financial aid available. With proof of income and completion of the financial aid application, the cost will be $20 per animal. Another option is Highway 7 Spay & Neuter. It is a Low Cost Spay/Neuter program for Low Income Residents to address our pet overpopulation issues. Last year, Dr. Reggie Wilkerson from Affordable Vet Services in Harrison created a 501©3 non-profit organization, “Highway 7 Spay and Neuter”, which offers affordable spay/neuter surgeries for pets belonging to low-income residents. Funded by individual donors and grants from the Arkansas Animal Rescue Foundation of Sheridan, AR, her program has already sterilized over 1,000 pet dogs & cats who otherwise would not have been fixed. This program also offers a free Pet Food Pantry to low-income residents whose pets are fixed and not breeding, so those pets are able to stay in their homes rather than be surrendered to a shelter or given away. The program is available to low-income residents of Marion, Boone, Searcy, Newton, and Carroll counties. A simple application is necessary, along with proof of residency and income. A total of four pets per household may be sterilized. The surgery and Rabies vaccination is just $20 per cat and $30 per dog. Residents must request Highway 7 Spay and Neuter applications when calling 870-741-9447 for appointments. Please do not wait – this year’s breeding season for cats and dogs has already begun and the unwanted kittens and puppies will begin to appear in March and April.
Our featured dog this week is Buster. Buster is an extremely cute little guy. He is a 1 ½ year old hound mix with lots of high energy and personality. After he was found as a stray, he became an inside dog with the person who rescued him. He played well with the neighbor’s dog but has not been friendly with other shelter dogs or cats. We feel this may be due to shelter stress. He was brought to the Shelter because the rescuer was not in a position to have a full-time dog. He is housebroken and would love to be a lap dog. He loves attention and toys. He becomes protective of his person and would make a good watch dog. He is very attentive and misses nothing. Because of his high energy, we feel he may be too much for a young child. He would most likely do best in a rural setting without a lot of neighbors.
We are featuring two cats this week. Mickey is the one on the right and Rambo on the left. We estimate their date of birth as 9/8/21. They arrived at the Shelter in mid-January. A kind couple found three babies under a wheelbarrow on their property and raised them up to gorgeous little boys. They are adopting one kitten through the Shelter, and we have the other two boys. They cuddle, fight and sleep together, but do not have to be adopted together. They get along playing individually just as well.
