Photo courtesy of Out of the Woods Rescue — River and his new owner play.

KRISHA WILLIAMS TURBEVILLE

RESCUE IN THE ROCK

No party is planned for the third anniversary of Out of the Woods Animal Rescue of Arkansas.

“We have too much to do!” said president Kathy Woods, who founded the nonprofit in 2007 to help animals other shelters in the area could not.

“We don’t turn people down. That’s what sets us apart,” Woods said. “We’ll help anybody who’s willing to take on the responsibility for the animals they’ve taken in.”

Photo courtesy of Out of the Woods — Kathy Woods

The organization specializes in helping independent rescuers, providing discounted vet care, low-cost spay/neuter programs and financial help for emergencies.

“When you take in a dog, and it has a litter of puppies, that can be a lot of money,” Woods said. “We help.”

But altering pets is vital, she said. Besides paying for the procedures, Out of the Woods also partners with Central Arkansas Rescue Effort for Animals, which provides free sterilizations for pets from limited-income families.

Out of the Woods has rescued or facilitated the rescue of at least 600 animals, Woods estimated.

“We’re averaging 25 adoptions a month, more than double what we adopted out last year,” she said.

The rescue has a network of volunteers who spread the word about pets who need homes and show animals for adoption at Premium Pet Products in Little Rock. Volunteers are there from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. the second Saturday of every month.

Animal Planet shot footage last winter of an Out of the Woods rescue for Last Chance Highway, but decided to focus on another rescue organization.

“Every time I watch the show now,” Woods said. “I’m looking for one of our dogs.”

Last Chance Highway is an eight-part series focusing on animal rescuers Shelly Bookwalter and Kyle Peterson.

But as the national spotlight fades, Out of the Woods is honing the mission and the skills of its rescuers who attended the Animal Care Expo in May.

The event, sponsored by The Humane Society of the United States, brought 1,400 animal-welfare advocates from 44 countries to Nashville in May.

“We learned so much!” Woods said.

From refining the nonprofit’s name and punching up its logo to better articulating its mission, the people who run Out of the Woods are educating themselves in marketing, fundraising, emergency care, how to deal with animal hoarding and puppy mills.

The rescue is learning to adapt as county rescue grows more perilous with the faltering economy.

Volunteers find more dogs dumped on rural stretches of Arkansas roads as people can no longer afford to care for their animals.

“Many can’t afford to get their animals fixed,” Woods said. “And that is just the basic care required for a pet.”

Still, Out of the Woods is about showing compassion, for both animals and people, Woods said.

“We will help anybody willing to help animals,” she said.

One of Woods’ most memorable rescue dogs was black lab mix River, who was being hoarded in an Almira home 2 years ago.

“When I spotted River, he could hardly walk. Feet swollen, terrible case of mange, sores all over him,” Woods said. She thought he would have to be euthanized.

“But I knew we couldn’t leave him there,” she said.

He had so many medical problems, including the tick-born disease Ehrlichia, heart worms and the mange, that River became one of the most expensive dogs Woods had ever rescued. Long-term treatment cost about $1,000, after a hefty discount from Pinnacle Valley Animal Hospital in Little Rock.

“In the end, he found a home right here in Little Rock with a single girl who wasn’t looking for a black dog,” Woods said. “But I guess when she heard his story, it got to her. And when she met him that was it.”

River’s new owner is an outdoorswoman, taking River with her hiking and cycling.

“He has a truly wonderful life,” Woods said.

Out of the Woods has helped in many hoarding situations and with puppy mill busts.

“So many times we stick our necks out and don’t know how we’re going to do something,” Woods said. “We think we’re in a situation that’s bigger than us, but we just take it on and somehow it always works out.”

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.