I sat down with Officers Tammy Austin and Michael Graham at the Hope Animal Control Shelter to talk to them about the pets available for adoption. The officers, both of whom have worked at the shelter for almost a decade, were happy to share some information with me about the process that perspective pet parents have to go through to adopt their new best friend from the shelter.
“Something people need to know is that, while we’re not a no-kill shelter, the city has no ordinance on time as far as how long we can keep the dogs,” Austin said. “Generally, we try our best to keep them as long as we feasibly can, and as long as we have open kennels, unless of course the dog brought in is vicious or too ill to be viable.”
That’s something that would be impossible, Austin said, without the support they get from Carol Robinson and the “Hope for Paws” organization. Hope for Paws is in partnership with the animal shelter, and helps to provide vetting and medical treatment, as well as food and foster housing for the dogs.
“We’ve had dogs here for months, even years, but that’s generally rare. We actually just had one adopted within 24 hours of being brought in,” Austin said.
The process for adoption is relatively simple. Come in to the shelter, fill out an application, and pay the requisite fee. If the dog is over six months old, the fee is $75. For puppies, the fee is $95, as they require additional parvo shots before they can be adopted.
“State law requires vaccines and spay/neuter be performed on all adoptions,” Austin said. “There’s no additional cost for that, because Hope for Paws pays part of the medical fees once an animal is adopted.”
“We also urge people to bring any other animals or children that will be in the home to meet the potential dog at the shelter. We have a big penned in area in the back that they can get out and interact with other animals before being taken home. We don’t have cats here, so often we don’t know if these dogs are cat-friendly or not. Same thing with kids. So, before someone adopts a dog, gets it home, and has to bring it back because it doesn’t get along, we really urge people to do initial meetings up here.”
For those looking to help out the shelter with donations, Austin and Graham agreed that the best way is to donate to Hope for Paws. The charity is always in need of dog food, as well as monetary donations, and especially for those willing to foster dogs before they can be adopted by other families. Hope for Paws also pays for vetting for foster animals. Austin said that donations can be made at the shelter to Hope for Paws, along with an issued receipt.
“They’re [Hope for Paws] on Facebook. It’s Hope for Paws – Hope Arkansas, make sure you get the right one. There are other organizations with the same name, so be sure you get the right one.”
Graham chuckled. “There’s one in Rhode Island, I know, because I got a call from someone thinking they’d gotten them, wanting me to come and remove a raccoon or something. They gave me the address and I thought, ‘That’s not around here.’”
“We’re also getting ready for our low-cost spay/neuter clinic in April,” Austin said. “We partner with Hope for Paws on that. It’s right here, at our facility. We’ll be doing it for both cats and dogs. Folks can sign up starting March 18 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. If anyone has any questions, they can call the shelter at 870-722-2545. If we don’t answer, just leave a message and we’ll get back to you.”
Prices for the clinic include:
Dog spay/neuter - $65
Heartworm test - $15
8 in 1 vaccine - $10
Bordatella - $15
Pain Meds - $10
Cat spay/neuter - $40
FeLV/FIV Test - $20
FeLV Vaccine - $15
4 in 1 Vaccine - $10
Rabies - $5
Shots are available with spay/neuter surgery only.
A $10 surcharge applies for dogs over 70 pounds, pregnant, vicious, or cryptorchid. Likewise, a $10 surcharge will apply on cats who are pregnant in their last trimester.
The clinic will be April 12-14, and will last all day.
“We also hope that people will be willing to donate to the clinic, as additional funding helps us spay and neuter pets for those families who are struggling financially and need to get their pets fixed, but don’t have the money to do so,” Austin said.
The Hope Animal Shelter is located on Jones Street, next to Fair Park. Their hours of operation are 7:00 a.m. – 3 p.m.
