Jonesboro, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – A Jonesboro animal rescue, in collaboration with a local business, worked together Saturday for one mission: Helping rescue dogs find a new home.
ARC Angels 4 Animals hosted a pop-up event Saturday, May 23 at Antique Avenue aimed at finding forever homes for local rescue animals while raising funds for veterinary care.
“It does our hearts so good when they [visitors] see the value in antiques, and it’s the same thing with the dogs,” said Christy Hall, co-owner of Antique Avenue. “When someone sees the value of these little animals that need you to care for them… the value of the love they give is so great and wonderful.”
For ARC Angels founder and director Angie Heringer, the event was a clever pivot from standard animal welfare messaging.
“We usually say, ‘adopt, don’t shop,’ and now today, we’re saying ‘adopt and go shop,’ and so it’s kind of a win-win for everybody,” Heringer said. “People are shopping, and they’re adopting. I actually had a couple of people ask, ‘Well, who are we and what do we do?’”
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The partnership highlights a concept Heringer hopes will catch on across Jonesboro, called Businesses and Rescues Connect (BARC). She said by bringing the dogs directly to a retail environment, the rescue could reach demographics that might not go out of their way to visit a traditional shelter.
Hall knows the impact of Heringer’s mission firsthand. After losing her 15-year-old dachshund, Abby, Hall said she was hesitant to open her heart to another pet. However, witnessing Heringer’s dedication to ARC Angels is what changed her mind, she explained.
“I just never seen anyone’s heart be in it like hers,” Hall said. “She could have nowhere for a dog to go, but she’s still going to get that dog, and she’s still going to try to find that dog a better spot.”
That dedication ultimately led Hall to adopt Lola, a former puppy mill rescue, through ARC Angels.
“I felt like she needed me and I needed her,” Hall said. “Dogs are the one thing that wants your undivided attention and will love you. I know I’m one of her favorite people in the world, and she relies on me, and I rely on her.”
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Hall saw the same emotional connection unfolding right outside her store, she said. She recounted a story of a friend whose husband was severely depressed after losing a family member. It wasn’t until fostering a dog from a similar pop-up event that he was able to find joy again.
“I love watching the puppies come in, but watching the people come in and interact with these puppies… the connections get made, you really do see them,” Hall said.
Because ARC Angels operates without a physical shelter, Heringer said the foster families are the ultimate safety net, taking care of the animals in their own living rooms until adoption day arrives.
When asked about the reality of handing dogs from their foster to their forever homes, Heringer said she and the fosters cry, but in a good way.
“It just makes my fosters feel so good knowing it’s going to go to a great home, and I do connect, in most cases, my fosters to the forever homes because they want to know.”
Throughout the afternoon, the community had shown up in force. Heringer noted that the majority of the crowd came to specifically support the animals, adding that over 10 dogs had found homes due to the event.
With the success of Saturday’s event, Heringer said she hopes to hold the “Adopt and Shop” events on a monthly basis.
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