By Heidi Dahms Foster
AARF Animal Rescue
AARf Animal Rescue, located in Poland Junction, is at capacity this spring with 20 dogs. “That may not seem like a lot,” said Liz Stegmeier, “but it’s a lot for a small rescue.” The rescue made it through the cold winter and is now seeing an increase in adoptions over last year.
A donation of 10 acres was the beginning for AARF, and Stegmeier, along with a board and dedicated volunteers and donors, has been building the property into a productive rescue for five years.
AARF consists of seven climate controlled “bunkhouses” that have indoor/outdoor runs for the dogs to go in and out as they please. Two of these bunkhouses are new, one for smaller dogs and one for the larger pups, paid for by a woman who adopted one of the rescue’s dogs.
Additionally, the AARF puppy house is for pregnant mothers that come in, or moms with pups, to have a safe place to give birth and raise their pups. Since the rescue’s beginning in 2018, six dogs have given birth to their litters there. All of the bunkhouses are paid for with donations and constructed by volunteers.
The rescue uses a large barn for a lot of its operations. The area contains meet and greet rooms for adoptions, office space, a washroom, and a volunteer lounge. One of the best recent developments was a large donation AARF received to install solar panels, which will help immensely to save on the more than $1,000 per month electric bills of the past.
Play areas and a memorial garden complete the rescue’s property. The memorial garden is not a burial place, but rather where people can place plaques to remember their pets, and for volunteers to walk dogs in.
Along with regular donations, AARF has a monthly 50/50 raffle on its website, which helps with expenses. Half goes to the rescue and half to the raffle winner. Rescue needs right now include sturdy toys for heavier chewers.
Stegmeier said AARF is planning an open house in August, pending board approval. Find information about the open house, adoptable dogs, volunteer opportunities, and the fundraiser raffle on the AARF website, aarfrescue.org.
United Animal Friends
United Animal Friends had a great winter, said Vice President Jennifer Casey, and the group is seeing many goals accomplished on the property off Highway 89A where they’ve been headquartered for two years.
The UAF property originally consisted of a house, fenced acreage, a large barn, and a casita. Donors and volunteers have gotten behind the effort to upgrade and remodel. One of the biggest needs at first was someone to come in and trim dangerous limbs off the property’s large old-growth trees. A donation made it possible for a tree expert to come in and make them safe again. The rescue has also planted new trees that in a few years will increase shade and comfort for the animals.
The barn stalls have been converted into indoor/outdoor runs for the dogs, and this past year, UAF added mini split heating/cooling units to keep the area comfortable. The dogs have indoor/outdoor access during the day and the barn is closed at night for safety.
The property was originally surrounded with horse fencing. Recently workers removed the interior fencing and graded the ground to create a level surface. With the perimeter fencing, UAF now has a large play and agility area for the dogs. Pavilions will be added for shade.
Upcoming projects include more perimeter fencing and a solar gate to secure the, and a new roof on the barn, which has lost shingles after this past winter’s high winds.
The casita, dubbed the “Cat-sita,” now houses adoptable cats and includes a “catio,” where cats can hang out in a contained outdoors area, watch the birds and squirrels and enjoy some sunshine.
One of the most heartbreaking things a rescue deals with is older pets whose owners have to go into assisted living or who have died and left their cat behind. UAF has begun a Save Our Seniors program, working with senior living facilities to allow residents to adopt these cats.
“We can take these cats into the Casita, but they have lived their whole lives in the same home, and they can shut down very quickly. If seniors can foster these cats, it’s good for the person, giving them companionship and a purpose, and it’s good for the cats,” Casey said.
A used, climate controlled shed has been purchased and turned into a puppy shed, and a second shed will add more quiet space for moms and pups. Some rescues come in pregnant, or with puppies, and there’s a need for them to have a safe place to give birth and raise their pups. One current dog was found on the Navajo reservation “in the middle of nowhere,” Casey said.
The dog was looking for a place to have her pups, and gave birth in a tire during bitter cold.
“The people reached out to us through another rescue, and we went and picked her up,” Casey said. The three pups were just a couple days old. They are now thriving and will go into foster care once they’re weaned. The mother will be spayed and put up for adoption.
“Whoever gets her will be a lucky person,” Casey said. “She’s the nicest dog.”
The house has recently undergone some weather upgrades, with new insulation and weather stripping. Full-time employee Kris lives on the property 24/7, taking care of the animals. She is joined by Jamie, a part-time employee. Casey can’t say enough good about the work both women do.
UAF used to run one of the most popular events of the year, a huge rummage sale. Locations were becoming harder to find, though, and the board decided that a permanent store location might be useful.
Furr-tastic Finds at 510 S. Montezuma in Prescott was the result, and it’s doing well. The store is open Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check out their Facebook page at Furr-Tastic Finds.
Affordable spaying and neutering is a crucial need in the Quad-Cities area. Members have been communicating this need for some time, and one of UAF’s newest goals is to have a low-cost spay/neuter clinic on the property.
The rescue received the donation of a mobile spay/neuter unit on the reservation after they received a grant for a new unit to travel and help out with the spay/neuter needs there.
“This is brand new for us,” Casey said. “We will need to replace some equipment they had to keep, and get surgical supplies. A couple of vets have said they will help with it. We’re looking to start with one Saturday a month.”
UAF recently held a volunteer picnic which included dedicating the puppy shed and the casita after two of their members who recently passed away.
The mom and pup shed will be renamed the “Steph’s Puppy Haven” after Stephanie Whetten, and the casita after Suzy Ball, who was the rescue’s “cat person.” The Casita will be named “Suzy’s Kitty Retreat.” Casey said undoubtedly tears would be shed during the event for these dedicated women.
Check out all the latest UAF adoption, donation and program news at unitedanimalfriends.org.
Yavapai Humane Society
Yavapai Humane Society had a great 2022, adopting out 1,731 animals, including 594 cats, 1,055 dogs, 30 birds or ducks, three goats, 27 horses, five rabbits and eight potbellied pigs.
“Our Equine center has expanded!” said Lorree Walden, YHS Marketing Manager. “They saved more than 40 horses from the kill pen last year, and they are now working with them and rehabbing them. Two were pregnant and gave birth in February. The Center is buzzing with goats, donkeys, a peacock, tortoises and potbellied pigs!”
The YHS low-cost spay/neuter clinic has been closed since Covid, and hasn’t opened to the public again due to the difficulty of getting a veterinarian. However, the shelter’s vaccine clinic is now open again.
“We still don’t have a vet for out there, so we can’t open up the spay/neuter clinic yet. But at least we can help keep the animals vaccinated with recent Parvo and Distemper outbreaks,” Walden said.
The Wellness clinic started April 14 and will run every two weeks for now.
Covic also put a big dent in the YHS volunteer program. The program is starting up again, and a new Volunteer Coordinator is on board to help with that effort. In May, Walden said YHS was planning an extensive training program for volunteers so they can provide training for the dogs. That way, once they’re adopted, the dogs can walk on leash, and know their boundaries.
The organization’s thrift store is doing very well now after dropping off for some time.
“We dropped the prices and revamped the inside,” Walden said, “We converted office space into a media room so that’s where we keep books, magazines, CDs and everything compartmentalized. We also have an outside section that has paint, cleaning materials, everything.”
Along with its Pet Guardian program that provides for animals if the owner passes away, the new Safety Net program cares for pets if something such as a hospital stay, needed surgery or other crisis happens that will keep the owner out of the home for up to a month.
Those who are interested can go onto the YHS site and fill out an application for either of these programs that offer peace of mind to pet owners.
“We’ve even had pets come in from domestic abuse cases where the owners had to go into a shelter for a time,” Walden said.
YHS is working to build a Serenity House where people who must euthanize their sick or old pets can do so in a comfortable, peaceful setting.
“They don’t have go into a sterile doctor’s office. It’s a living room setting where the owner can be with animal and have time together,” Walden said. “We’re still working on funding. It’s the first of its kind in Northern Arizona and we’re really excited.”
Upcoming events for YHS include a Pet Food Pantry drive for food donations for people who need help feeding their pets in an emergency, the June 10th Woofstock Adoption event at the Prescott Valley Civic Center, a Clear the Shelter event this summer, and the Walk for the Animals event at Dogtoberfest in the fall.
Find all of the Yavapai Humane Society’s programs and adoptable pets at yavapaihumane.org.
