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SPAY NEUTER PROGRAM
10,146+ OWNED ANIMALS SPAYED AND NEUTERED TO DATE!
At the spay neuter clinic held at the Fountain Lake Fire Station on June 6th & 7th, 62 cats and dogs were sterilized.
Thanks to Petco for providing vaccines for all the animals, and special thanks to our wonderful vet, Dr. Paula Gibson, vet techs Hailey, Abby and Kristin; the Bissell Pet Foundation; Fido Fixers for providing their mobile surgical bus; and to all of our hard-working volunteers.
The AWL is committed to prevent the overpopulation of unwanted
animals through our Spay Neuter programs, and we offer 6 clinics during the year.
Awl in the news!
AWL voted 1st Place in 2 Categories!
The Hot Springs Village Animal Welfare League is thrilled to be voted the 1st place winner in the Non-Profit Organization Category and 1st Place in the Club Category. We were also voted 2nd place in the Charity Event Category for Girls Gotta Howl. Thank you to everyone who voted for us!
Farewell to ACO Payge Farewell!
AWL volunteers and friends wished Animal Control Officer Payge Farewell (3rd from right, 1st row) a fond farewell on Friday, July 19th. Payge did an awesome job serving as an ACO (along with James Kull) and we are very sad to see her leave. Fortunately, Payge will still be part of the POA family, as she has been accepted into the HSV Police Department. According to Payge, "I will be pursuing my biggest goal by becoming a police officer," and we know she will excel in that position as she did as an ACO. Payge is not leaving the AWL totally, as she has promised to volunteer once her training is complete and she has a regular schedule. "I can't leave you guys fully, as you are seriously great and amazing people, the whole AWL team is." Good luck Payge!
AWL receives No-Kill Award from Best Friends Animal Society
AWL was recognized by the Best Friends Animal Society for saving 90% or more of the dogs and cats that entered our shelter in 2024.
Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization working to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters, recognizes this achievement as a positive step forward and one that can be replicated by other shelters in Arkansas.
*A 90 percent save rate is the nationally recognized benchmark to be considered “no-kill,” factoring that approximately 10 percent of pets who enter shelters have medical or behavioral circumstances that
warrant humane euthanasia rather than killing for lack of space.
Petco Love awards $5,000 grant to AWL
Petco love continues to support our lifesaving efforts. In March, 2025, they awarded the AWL with a $5,000 grant to assist with any of our lifesaving needs and projects.
The AWL is also honored to be one of Petco's top 100 Adoption Partners, and we also promote the Petco Love Lost searchable vast database to help connect lost or found pets with their owners.
Saline County Justices of the Peace visit AWL
We were honored that two Saline County Justices of the Peace - Stephanie Johnson, District 12 (holding Moe) and Karen Crowson, District 13, - visited the AWL Adoption Center on February 12th. Both avid animal lovers, they are pictured with volunteer Cat Care Workers Jennifer Hurd (left) and Chris Frantz. Stephanie, along with AWL board members, also attended the Best Friends Animal Society's Bring No-Kill Home Summit in Little Rock.
As Property Tax bills for both Saline and Garland County will be sent out soon, we kindly ask that you check the $5.00 (Saline County) or $10.00 (Garland County) voluntary contribution for Animal Care and Control that is listed on the form when you make your payment. It really does make a difference to help save animal lives!
Thank You Luncheon Honors Our Volunteers!
More than 130 of our dedicated volunteers were honored at a special luncheon on February 6th at the Coronado Center.
While volunteers socialized and enjoyed a catered lunch from Clampit's, President Beverly Fitzpatrick gave an overview of the AWL's statistics in 2024, and a special presentation was given to extraordinary volunteers Chad and Cheryl Schaefer for their amazing contributions to the AWL. Through the years they have fostered and taken care of approximately 1,400 cats and kittens in a special modified room in their home, and we wish them well as they retire. Also recognized was Grady Shepherd, who was presented with the first Sweetie Award,
in appreciation of his tremendous and tireless help to the AWL. Long term volunteers (20+ years!) Jackie Morris, Angela Nickols, and Mary McCullough were also honored for their service, and Bev gave a special shout out to our outstanding Animal Control Officers, Jim Kull and Payge Farewell.
AWL Board of Directors Members attend Best Friends Animal Society's Bring No-Kill Home to Arkansas Summit in Little Rock
On February 1st, AWL BOD members (from left) Jennifer Hurd, Susan Senogles, President Beverly Fitzpatrick, and Laura Allworth participated in the summit to learn how we can help make Arkansas the first "no-kill" southern state and ban dog breed specific legislation. Workshops were also held to build lifesaving support and networking strategies with other no-kill shelters. Currently, more than half of the total shelters in Arkansas have reached no-kill. Note: The AWL achieved a save rate of 94.5% in 2024; well above the 90% save rate needed to be considered a no-kill shelter.
SAND TRAP'S CHILI COOK OFF & SUPER BOWL RAFFLES BENEFITS AWL!
Mickey Wells (left) and Sandy Wells present Shelley Shepherd with a $665.00 check, the proceeds from the Chili Cook-Off they held at their Sand Trap Sports Bar on January 25th. Eighteen different chilies entered the competition and there were more than 80 taste testers and/or participants in the 50/50 raffle split. Sandy said many generous patrons also separately donated to the AWL.
What a great way to spend a “chile” winter day and we
thank Mickey, Sandy, and their patrons for their generosity!
2025 AWL Board of Directors ELECTed at annual meeting
Our Team
All members were invited to AWL's annual meeting on November 7, 2024. Status reports and upcoming events were presented, and an election was held for six Board of Director positions. Every board member serves a two year term, and all candidates up for election currently serve on the board. The current 2025 Board of Directors are (from left) Laura Allworth - at large, Jill Jones - 2nd Vice President, Michelle Alford - at large, Susan Senogles - at large, Rose Johnson - at large, Beverly Fitzpatrick - President, Jennifer Hurd - Secretary, Shelley Shepherd - 1st Vice President, and (inset) Debe Jolliff - Treasurer. Not pictured is Sandie Rickerman, at large. The Board of Directors, along with more than 200 other passionate AWL volunteers, are dedicated to rescue, vet and find loving homes for all our adoptable cats and dogs, and prevent the overpopulation of unwanted animals. Update: To lighten the load on individual Board members currently serving, two new At-Large positions were added in January, 2025. Former Board Member Melanie Marshall is serving as our Volunteer Liaison, and Beth Barrows, another former BOD member, serves as our Spay/Neuter Liaison.
PETCO LOVE - Champion for the AWL
The HSVAWL received a $10,000 grant in March, 2024 from Petco Love in honor of our lifesaving work. The generous grant will cover adoption readiness expenses. Since its founding in 1999, Petco Love has invested $375 million in adoption and lifesaving efforts.
BISSELL PET FOUNDATION PARTNER
The AWL joins the Bissell Pet Foundation's Fix the Future
Since September 2023, Bissell Pet Foundation has impacted more than 45 shelters and clinics, spaying and neutering nearly 13,000 cats and dogs. The AWL is extremely excited to be part of this network that provides 140 relief veterinarians that spay and neuter pets in 14 states every day. We are extremely grateful and fortunate that the Bissell Pet Foundation covered the veterinary expense at our S/N clinics on April 26 & 27.
IN THE NEWS
Giving Tree Grant
The AWL received a $2,000 Giving Tree Grant
from the Arkansas Community Foundation in October, 2023 as part of their "Smart Giving to Improve Communities."
We thank them for the generous grant that will be used for our Spay/Neuter program.
AWL awarded 2023 Kia Pet Adoption Grant
We are very grateful to the Petfinder Foundation who awarded the AWL $1,000 to support our lifesaving work. The Petfinder Foundation exists to support Petfinder members through cash and product grants, with the goal of helping to keep adoptable pets healthy and happy. Since its inception, the Petfinder Foundation has given more than $20 million in cash and product grants to Petfinder members.
Petco Love Lost Helps Reunite Lost Pets
To help reunite lost pets, our partner Petco Love Lost has announced a new integration with Ring and its Neighbors app. This allows customers to share images of their pet via a Neighbors Pet Profile or a lost pet post with Petco Love Lost.
The AWL encourages you to register with Neighbors and Petco Love Lost, and to ensure your pet data is up to date. Click the button below to visit Petco Love Lost and sign up for this service. It's free, fast, and effective!
HSV ANIMAL WELFARE LEAGUE recognized by Best Friends Animal Society for exceeding a 90% save rate for cats and dogs.
The HSVAWL was recently honored by Best Friends Animal Society for achieving no-kill status by exceeding a 90% save rate for cats and dogs in 2022. The actual rate was an exemplary 96%!
Best Friends Animal Society operates the nation’s largest sanctuary for homeless animals and provides adoption, spay/neuter, and educational programs. The AWL is proud to be a partner of the Best Friends Network, which provides a variety of professional resources and opportunities to help us increase our lifesaving impact.
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