KRISHA WILLIAMS TURBEVILLE
RESCUE IN THE ROCK

With tails awag and faces painted, pets and supporters of The Little Rock Animal Village marked its first anniversary Saturday as rescuers teamed up with the shelter’s vet to save one dog’s life.

A call came in about 12:30 p.m. to Cindy Paxton, volunteer for the birthday celebration and for Out of the Woods Rescue and Referral, that a very pregnant beagle was roaming the highway in an unincorporated area of Pulaski County.

Having little faith the county would care for the dog or even pick it up, Paxton asked another volunteer to bring the dog to the Animal Village.

Little Rock Animal Services manager Tracy Roark agreed to have the city’s vet examine the beagle.

“We’re a team effort here,” he said.

The vet found that the puppies the beagle, now named Annie, was carrying were too large for her to deliver. Going into labor would have meant certain death, Paxton said. So the vet operated to remove the puppies and spay Annie.

“She’s recovering well,” Paxton said. “She’s so sweet. We were so grateful that we were able to intervene in her unfortunate situation.”

Paxton is fostering Annie, who will be put up for adoption as soon as she recovers.

Meanwhile, dozens of people showed up to look at the shelter’s animals, have cake, get a snowcone or hot dog, and watch search-dog demonstrations.

Kids gathered around the giant inflatable slide and Scooby Doo, while adults browsed information booths set up by animal-welfare groups like F.U.R.R., Last Chance Arkansas and the Arkansas Search Dog Association.

“It is wonderful,” Roark said. “Having this facility has improved many dogs’ lives because people are starting to get famililar with us. They walk in and are in awe at what the city has done.

“It’s making people feel better about city facilities and making people understand that we are here for the dogs,” he said.

Roark said 1200 invitations were sent out. “There have been tons of people here and still more coming,” he said at noon.

Adoptions have been on the rise all week leading up to the celebration.

Roark said 13 animals were adopted Saturday and estimated five or six adoptions every other day last week. “On a good day, we’ll see two adopted.”

Roark said he plans to hold a celebration every year “to show off what I believe is the lighthouse as far as animal control in the city.

“Hopefully it’ll inspire more animal control facilities to be built the way this one is,” he said.

Roark said many people are afraid to come in when they find out the shelter euthanizes some animals, but they shouldn’t be.

“They should come in here and see the good we’re doing. “We’re so proud of this representing the city of Little Rock,” Roark said, with his adopted dog Amber by his side.

“I know how generous the citizens are and now they have something they can be proud of.”

The shelter is starting a training program Monday night and working on plans to expand the facility.