See All of Our Available Pets:
SPAY NEUTER PROGRAM
OVER 9,230 ANIMALS SPAYED AND NEUTERED TO DATE!
The AWL is committed to prevent the overpopulation of unwanted
animals through our Spay Neuter programs.
AWL GENERAL MEETING MEETING NOVEMBER 16, 2023
At our annual general meeting, President Sue Luse provided a financial overview, and 2023 accomplishments to date. Updates were also given on our dog and cat adoptions, Spay Neuter and PAWS programs, fundraising and volunteer news. Detailed 2023 statistics will be available in January, 2024.
2024 AWL Board of directors elected
Welcome to new board members (Janice Dean, Beverly Fitzpatrick, and Susan Senogles), who were elected to two year terms. Re-elected for another two year term were Rose Johnson and Jill Jones. They will join members Susan Luse, Shelley Shepherd, Michelle Alford, Debe Jolliff, and Laura Allworth, who will serve their second year term.
LIFESAVING Adoption Weekend DOUBLES STIPENDS
AWL participated in Best Friends National Adoption Weekend Sept. 15-17. During the event, 32 cats and 5 dogs were adopted. As a special thanks for our lifesaving work, Best Friends doubled the stipends we received to $50 for each adopted animal, or a total of $1,850. More importantly, 37 pets have new forever homes!
IN THE NEWS
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.
Thanks to our friends from PetcoLove, Dr. Jill Summerford, DVM, and AWL volunteers, 35 cats and dogs received free vaccines at Fountain Lake Volunteer Fire Station on November 4th.
BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS
Holy Trinity Episcopal Church October 1st
Holy Trinity Episcopal Church October 1st
Holy Trinity Episcopal Church October 1st
The St. Francis chapter Daughters of the King sponsored the annual Blessing of the Animals on Sunday, October 1st at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church.
Several parishioners and friends brought their dogs (and one cat!) to be blessed by Father Keith Hearnsberger, who read the liturgy of St. Francis. The AWL is very grateful for their
donation of $1,000, and we were very pleased to see so many animals who had been adopted from the AWL who received blessings.
Holy Trinity Episcopal Church October 1st
Holy Trinity Episcopal Church October 1st
Father Keith Hearnsberger presents Shelley Shepherd
with a $1,000 check from the Blessings of the Animals
held at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church on October 1st.
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.
Double the Fun at GIRLS GOTTA HOWL!
Always a popular event, this year's GGH was a double sellout with both a matinee and evening performance on
September 25, 2023!
Thank you to the nearly 500 attendees and volunteers who supported our major fundraiser of the year. Special thanks to Relyance Bank, our Corporate Sponsor, and ReMax of Hot Springs Village, our Wine Fountain Sponsor.
Congrats to our Raffle Drawing winners:
$500 - Fatima Alvirde; $200 Nancy Petropoulos, Darleen Mosley; $100 Margaret Vink, Mia Natzke and Linda Worack
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
AWL featured on Hot Springs Village Inside Out
Shelley Shephard, Dog Adoption Coordinator, is interviewed by Inside Out host Dennis Simpson. Watch the video as Shelley shares stories and photos about some of the animals currently available for adoption.
Thank You Hot Springs Village!
The AWL is very grateful to have been voted
the Best Non-Profit and the Best Club/Organization
in the 2023 HSV Voice Readers' Choice Awards.
Our team of volunteers is proud to serve the community and honored to be your first choice!
Spay Neuter "Make Up" Clinic at Waggin' Wheel
On Sunday, August 13, thanks to Drs. Chris and Rebecca Bilby, their staff, and over 25 volunteers from the AWL, 55 pets were spayed or neutered in a "make-up" clinic to alleviate the growing backlog of animals that need sterilizing. A total of 43 dogs and 12 cats were fixed, and if needed, the animals also received their rabies shots and vaccines - at no charge to the pet owners. The cost of the clinic was supplemented by the AWL, along with the low cost voucher program available to eligible pet owners. A special thank you to Drs. Chris & Rebecca Bilby, the DVM's who performed all the surgeries.
AWL Scores a Home Run at Home Plate
Home Plate Café & Bakery's front of house manager Theresa Davis (left) presents a $500 check to AWL President Susan Luse. Home Plate recently started a round up program which asks diners if they would like to round up their tabs to benefit a local nonprofit. We are thankful that they choose the AWL as their monthly charity for July!
AWL - Village True Value's Charity of the Month
For the third consecutive year, AWL has been selected as a True Value Charity of the Month for June. Patrons are asked to "round up" their receipt to give to the AWL, and
Village True Value donates up to $250 to the total.
Board Member and Fundraising Chair Sandie Rickerman collects the proceeds from General Manager Matt Burr (left), and Travis Smith, Marketing Manager.
A Special Thank You to Michael and Susan Semmler, and the entire staff of Eyecare Specialties in Hot Springs Village!
They donated $300, which was a portion of their eyeglass and prescription sunglass sales for the months of April & May to the AWL as part of their Community Support to non-profits.
Petco Love Lost Helps Reuinite 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!
A "Calming" July 4th for the Animals
Special thanks to volunteers Janice & Bob Dean, Dawn Michalic, and Julie Keck (pictured right with Jesse) who comforted the shelter dogs during the July 1st fireworks in HSV. In what has become an annual tradition, they exercised the dogs, enclosed them in the shelter and used music and fans to dampen the booms from the fireworks!
A Very Special Donation to the AWL
We are grateful to all who donate to the AWL, but we were extremely touched by a donation from a special young lady named Caroline, who happens to be 3 years old. Caroline wanted to have her first lemonade stand and when her parents provided her a list of places where she could donate her proceeds, she quickly chose the animal shelter so she could help feed the doggies and kitties. Caroline donated her $28.30 earnings to the AWL! Thank you Caroline!
PETCO LOVE FREE PET VACCINES!
Over 100 Cats & Dogs received FREE Vaccinations!
On March 18th, more than 100 cats and dogs received their rabies shots and parvo/distemper vaccinations during the four hour free clinic at Fountain Lake Volunteer Fire Station on Highway 5. Speical thanks to Drs. Chris and Rebecca Bilby, DVM of Waggin' Wheel Veterinary Clinic who administered the rabies vaccines.
They were assisted by AWL's own retired nurses, Mary McCullough, Connie Shoemaker, and Karen Goodroad. Awl volunteers Beth Barrow, Chari Larimore, Jane Garrison and Tom and Betsy Bailey provided animal handling and traffic control; Julia Pires and Angela Nickols handled the paperwork; and Dorothy Zabecki provided her computer skills. It really does take a village - HSV Animal Welfare League to be exact. Many thanks to PetcoLove for providing the free vaccines during their nationwide campaign and to the Fountain Lake Volunteer Fire Department for their assistance.
Arkansas Community Foundation
Thank you to the Arkansas Community Foundation for their $1,000 grant in September 2022. The grant will be used to provide cats in Garland County with spay/neutering and rabies shots.
A Girl & A Gun donates to the AWL
Thank you to the members of the local women's self defense club, "A Girl & A Gun," for their monetary and donation items they brought to the AWL in February, 2023.
Petco's Angel Tree for the AWL
A huge thank you to the Petco Store in Benton and all their caring customers who purchased many gifts for our homeless
animals over the holidays. Petco displayed an "Angel Tree" with special ornaments listing pet needs. Shoppers choose ornaments, collected the items in the store, and then donated at the register. Because of their generosity, we received many gifts that our homeless pets are enjoying!
AWL partnered with Best Friends Animal Society to find shelter cats and dogs loving homes for the Holidays on their National Adoption Weekend - December 9-11, 2022
A total of 16 cats and 6 dogs were adopted from the AWL
during this National Adoption Weekend! Thanks to
Best Friends Animal Society, the AWL will receive
grant funds for each 2022 adoption!
Saline County, AR gives $15,000 grant
Thank you Saline County! The AWL received a generous grant of $15,000 in December, 2022 to be used for spaying and neutering of Saline County pets. This is in addition to the $15,000 grant we received in April, 2022.
Holy Trinity Episcopal Church's Blessing of the Animals benefits the AWL
Thank you to the St. Francis Chapter of the Daughters of the King from Holy Trinity Episcopal Church for their annual Blessing of the Animals. Father Dee Stayton (6th from right)
was assisted by Deacon Brenda Kroll (in skirt) as several pets were blessed. Several donations were made to the AWL.
Petco Love awards AWL $25,000 Grant
Petco Love continues to invest in the AWL, and awarded $25,000 to help with our lifesaving work. The generous grant will be used to cover all expenses related to adoption costs. Special thanks to GM Carol Hardin and her team at the Petco Store in Benton, AR for all they do to support us!
The HSV Knights of Columbus, The Men's Club, and The Tennis Association donates $6,000.
The AWL generously received all the proceeds from the
clubs' dinner/theatre production of Game, Set, Match. You Lose. Written by Gil Duran and produced with assistance from his wife Mary, the play was presented at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church on November 4 and 5.
AWL - A Petco Love Top 100 Adoption Partner!
Petco Love recently named the AWL one of their top 100
Adoption Partners. They also awarded the AWL a $25,000 grant for adoption costs in April, 2022.
This generous grant will cover vet expenses, food, medications, litter, grooming and everything related to getting an animal ready for adoption!
AWL Receives Donation from DeSoto Women’s Club
Linda Poe, President of the DeSoto Women’s Club, presented AWL President Sue Luse with a check for nearly $650 on April 18th. The DeSoto Women’s Club has generously donated all the proceeds from the sale of their cookbook to date, a total of over $2,000! Also pictured are AWL 1st VP Shelley Shepherd (with Bella) and Deb Baab, 1st VP of the DeSoto Women's Club.
Max & Neo - Giving Back to Dog Rescues
A big THANK YOU to Max and Neo (www.maxandneo.com) for their generous donation boxes sent to us several times a year. They generously donate dog products 1 for 1 to dog rescues in the United States for every product sold.
Arkansas Animal Rescue Foundation
We are extremely grateful to the Arkansas Animal Rescue Foundation for giving the AWL a $15,000 grant to support our homeless pets!
AWL IN THE NEWS!
Girl Scouts Visit the AWL
Hot Springs Girl Scout Troop 6683, under the leadership of
Lori Halupka, visited the shelter to learn about more about our cats and dogs. The girls also made doggie and kittie treats
to share with our adoptable animals.
AWL Gives a Halloween "Treat"
As a thank you to all our Village supporters, drivers passing through the HSV Balboa Gate on Halloween received a treat from AWL volunteers.
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