Jonesboro, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – A Jonesboro woman is working to be the ultimate safety net for Northeast Arkansas’ most vulnerable pets, running a rescue operation that never clocks out.

Angie Heringer is the founder and director of ARC Angels 4 Animals, a Jonesboro-based nonprofit dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming animals that have nowhere else to turn.

Jonesboro Right Now recently caught up with Heringer, amid her busy schedule, to discuss the reality of managing the rescue, her vision for the city’s animal welfare ecosystem, and the personal history that sparked her lifelong mission.

The Catalyst

Heringer didn’t stumble into rescue work. She said she was born into circumstances that mirrored the animals she now fights to save.

Originally from California, Heringer grew up in foster care. As a child, she said she witnessed her father actively mistreat animals, an experience she said forged an early empathy for them. However, the ultimate catalyst for Heringer’s life’s work came from her own experience of abandonment.

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“My foster family actually gave me away,” she explained. “They said, ‘OK, we’re done fostering, because now we’re going to adopt our little baby.'”

That understanding of what it means to be cast aside is the engine behind ARC Angels. For Heringer, every stray dog or surrendered puppy isn’t just an animal in need; it is a reflection of her own story.

“That’s what happens to these dogs,” she said. “They’re tossed out because [their owners] got their puppy, or they’re old, or they’re abused, or they don’t have mommies. And that’s all they’re looking for, is a family.”

Heringer has been working in animal rescue for three decades, cutting her teeth at the Northeast Arkansas Humane Society in the early 1990s. Recognizing the need for structured fundraising and accountability, she officially established ARC Angels as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit around 2014.

Today, ARC Angels operates as a foster-based rescue, meaning there is no centralized shelter building. It’s just Heringer, her vehicle, and a network of volunteers turning their homes into safe havens.

The Reality of the Job

Without a physical building, the rescue operates primarily out of Heringer’s vehicle, with her ringing phone a constant sound. She fields up to a half-dozen calls a day, ranging from stray sightings to owner surrenders.

“I don’t sleep,” Heringer admitted in reference to her schedule, noting she usually operates on just two to four hours a night.

Heringer’s days are filled with veterinary appointments, supply runs, and transporting dogs across city lines, while her nights stretch into the early morning hours as she networks online to coordinate placements and monitor local rescue pages.

ARC Angels operates under four pillars: Rescue, Rehab, Re-love, and Rehome.

For Heringer, that “re-love” phase is critical. She said her network of fosters treats the rescues like their own pets, allowing them to sleep in beds and decompress in a true home environment. But re-loving also means changing the public’s perception of a “stray.”

Heringer said she is careful about how her dogs are presented to potential adopters, outfitting them in crisp black collars, harnesses, and leashes rather than rusty crates.

“We make them nice and pretty,” she said. “The more value you can make… get that across to the adopters, that’s what’s going to get them adopted. They are of value, and they are special to us.”

That level of care comes at a steep price. The rescue takes on severe cases, funding everything from amputations to expensive heartworm regimens.

“[Maybe] $300, $400, or $500 in each dog … we treat them all, we save at all costs,” she said.

Because of the massive investment of time, money, and love, Heringer is fiercely protective of where the animals end up.

She explained that adopters must pass a home visit and sign strict contracts stating that if the adoption doesn’t work out, the animal must be returned to ARC Angels, not sold or given away.

She enforces that rule diligently. Heringer recalled a recent instance where an adopter illegally gave away a rescue dog. Heringer tracked the dog down, enforced the contract, and brought him back into her care.

“That’s why follow-up is vital,” she emphasized. “I want to be that safety net … I mean, we love these dogs like our own, and we have great fosters, and they love them. So they trust me to make sure we get them in the best home possible.”

The sheer volume of abandoned and surrendered animals in Northeast Arkansas takes an emotional toll, but Heringer refuses to let the animals fall through the cracks.

“Can I save everyone? No. Can I try? That’s what I always say,” she said.

The Community Impact

As the name implies, ARC Angels is built on networking. The “ARC” stands for Animal Rescue Connection, a title Heringer takes literally.

When her local fosters are at capacity, she said she acts as a dispatcher, coordinating with a trusted network of out-of-state rescues in states like Missouri, Iowa, and Texas to ensure animals find safe placement.

“I know who I send them to, and I think that’s real important,” she said.

Heringer noted that the current pet overpopulation crisis in Northeast Arkansas is the worst she has ever seen. She expressed frustration with local facilities that close their doors or turn animals away to maintain a strict “no-kill” status, arguing that refusing intake simply pushes the suffering onto the streets or into the hands of hoarders.

“There is no such thing [as no-kill],” she said. “Because you’re turning away so many animals … We just need to have more accountability out there.”

Heringer’s ultimate vision for ARC Angels involves securing a physical building, but not just to house more dogs. She envisions a dedicated “Rescue Center” that would serve as a multifaceted emergency hub for the city.

Rather than a long-term shelter, she said it would be a facility with emergency overnight slots for sudden litters or injured strays, while primarily serving as a community resource center. By providing education, supplies, and temporary assistance, she hopes the center can help struggling residents keep their pets, preventing them from entering the rescue system in the first place.

While Heringer works toward her long-term goal of a centralized rescue center, her immediate focus remains on keeping the current operation afloat.

On May 23, ARC Angels will host a pop-up adoption event and fundraiser at Antique Avenue, located at 2703 Paula Drive. The event will feature adoptable animals alongside a sale of donated items, including new pet clothes, t-shirts, jackets, and car seats, to help cover the rescue’s mounting veterinary bills.

Heringer noted that partnerships with local businesses, such as Antique Avenue, are critical to the rescue’s survival. The venue owners, who have adopted from ARC Angels themselves, understand the community’s severe need and provide a space to bring the dogs and the public together.

The collaboration offers a unique dual purpose for Jonesboro residents.

“Usually you say, ‘Don’t shop, adopt.’ Now we’re saying, ‘Come shop and adopt,'” Heringer laughed.

Heringer emphasized that people don’t have to take home a dog at the pop-up to make a massive impact. She encouraged everyone to attend, noting that every small effort helps keep the rescue running.

“If you can’t adopt, then you could foster,” she said. “If you can’t foster, you can donate. If you can’t donate, you can share our post. There are so many ways that they can help us.”

Learn more about ARC Angels by clicking here.

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