BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA)— The Best Friends Pet Resource Center reported it adopted out more than 2,000 animals for its first year.
The Best Friends Animal Society is a national animal welfare organization. It opened a resource center in Bentonville in March 2023. The center is on a mission to make sure all pets have a home.
“Right now we are trying to stop the unnecessary killing of animals in shelters across the country by 2025,” said Lina DeBerry, senior marketing specialist for Best Friends Pet Resource Center.
DeBerry says many animals are euthanized because there isn’t enough room for them in local shelters. According to DeBerry, the center helps relieve overcrowding in shelters.
“We help them by lifting animals out of their shelters, placing them in foster homes here and working to get them adopted,” said DeBerry.
DeBerry says the center has a successful system when deciding which animals are brought to the center.
“We have a whole team that works out in the field and they go from shelter to shelter. They work with the staff of those different shelters. They get to know the animals,” said DeBerry.
She says one reason the center is so successful is because it is community-oriented. The center provides open spaces which allow for the animals to have social interaction.
“You get a lot of people in here and they’re interested in taking the dogs out for walks, maybe checking a dog out for a day, going in and playing with the cats, playing with the kittens,” said DeBerry.
DeBerry says the center pushes for foster homes for the animals in their care. She says animals who are in foster homes can find permanent families faster.
“Animals do so much better in foster homes than shelters. The shelter is loud, it’s confusing, and it can be scary for an animal. They go into a foster home then they can relax. They can sort of decompress. And remember what it was like to be a pet in a home,” said DeBerry.
DeBerry says the center has indoor and outdoor spaces for the cats and an enrichment center and yards for the dogs. The cats stay at the center while the dogs stay in foster homes.
