01 May Service Trip 2023: Day 2 Kensett
Kensett Animal Shelter
By: Rachel Litton
On our 2nd full day in Arkansas, our car headed out bright and early to the Kensett shelter. We excitedly chatted about the day to come and shared stories about our own dogs and prior fosters. Since we were joined by one of the southern fosters, we eagerly picked her brain about what their wants and needs are. She helped us understand about the dire need for support at many of these rural shelters. We discussed the breed misconceptions surrounding pit bulls, and the reality of how many dogs are dumped on a weekly basis. In these rural, low income towns, volunteers are imperative as are the fosters and adopters!
We started off the day by moving extra lumbar and metal scraps to the side of the yard to make room for new gravel. Once that was complete, we broke into a few groups to start working on projects.
I was assigned to dog washing, so I got to spend time with all of the pups! We gave each dog a bath, a good brushing, a nail clipping, and LOTS of loving while their kennels received a deep cleaning. Every single dog there was so excited, sweet, and ready to snuggle everybody they met. Unfortunately, we had to put them back in their kennels, as they do not have fosters or adopters yet.
I spent the most time with Wiley Coyote, this adorable shepherd-looking pup. He was literally jumping for joy to get a break from his kennel, so we spent a lot of time walking around and eating lots of treats. These dogs are in the situation due to no fault of their own – they just need a place to call their own and a family to love.
The southern fosters and volunteers go above and beyond (and then some) for these dogs. Many of the southern fosters have multiple pups in their homes while they wait for the opportunity to come north with Rescue Road and Last Hope K9. While I’m new to fostering, this showed me how important it is to keep fostering so that more dogs get the chance to find their forever home. I’ll be leaving this trip feeling motivated, grateful, and empowered to keep doing as much as I can for dog rescue. Until next time!
You can learn more about Last Hope K9 Rescue’s annual service trip, here. Please consider donating to our service trip fundraiser.
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