Photo courtesy of Out of the Woods Rescue — River and his new owner play.

KRISHA WILLIAMS TURBEVILLE

RESCUE IN THE ROCK

No party is planned for the third anniversary of Out of the Woods Animal Rescue of Arkansas.

“We have too much to do!” said president Kathy Woods, who founded the nonprofit in 2007 to help animals other shelters in the area could not.

“We don’t turn people down. That’s what sets us apart,” Woods said. “We’ll help anybody who’s willing to take on the responsibility for the animals they’ve taken in.”

Photo courtesy of Out of the Woods — Kathy Woods

The organization specializes in helping independent rescuers, providing discounted vet care, low-cost spay/neuter programs and financial help for emergencies.

“When you take in a dog, and it has a litter of puppies, that can be a lot of money,” Woods said. “We help.”

But altering pets is vital, she said. Besides paying for the procedures, Out of the Woods also partners with Central Arkansas Rescue Effort for Animals, which provides free sterilizations for pets from limited-income families.

Out of the Woods has rescued or facilitated the rescue of at least 600 animals, Woods estimated.

“We’re averaging 25 adoptions a month, more than double what we adopted out last year,” she said.

The rescue has a network of volunteers who spread the word about pets who need homes and show animals for adoption at Premium Pet Products in Little Rock. Volunteers are there from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. the second Saturday of every month.

Animal Planet shot footage last winter of an Out of the Woods rescue for Last Chance Highway, but decided to focus on another rescue organization.

“Every time I watch the show now,” Woods said. “I’m looking for one of our dogs.”

Last Chance Highway is an eight-part series focusing on animal rescuers Shelly Bookwalter and Kyle Peterson.

But as the national spotlight fades, Out of the Woods is honing the mission and the skills of its rescuers who attended the Animal Care Expo in May.

The event, sponsored by The Humane Society of the United States, brought 1,400 animal-welfare advocates from 44 countries to Nashville in May.

“We learned so much!” Woods said.

From refining the nonprofit’s name and punching up its logo to better articulating its mission, the people who run Out of the Woods are educating themselves in marketing, fundraising, emergency care, how to deal with animal hoarding and puppy mills.

The rescue is learning to adapt as county rescue grows more perilous with the faltering economy.

Volunteers find more dogs dumped on rural stretches of Arkansas roads as people can no longer afford to care for their animals.

“Many can’t afford to get their animals fixed,” Woods said. “And that is just the basic care required for a pet.”

Still, Out of the Woods is about showing compassion, for both animals and people, Woods said.

“We will help anybody willing to help animals,” she said.

One of Woods’ most memorable rescue dogs was black lab mix River, who was being hoarded in an Almira home 2 years ago.

“When I spotted River, he could hardly walk. Feet swollen, terrible case of mange, sores all over him,” Woods said. She thought he would have to be euthanized.

“But I knew we couldn’t leave him there,” she said.

He had so many medical problems, including the tick-born disease Ehrlichia, heart worms and the mange, that River became one of the most expensive dogs Woods had ever rescued. Long-term treatment cost about $1,000, after a hefty discount from Pinnacle Valley Animal Hospital in Little Rock.

“In the end, he found a home right here in Little Rock with a single girl who wasn’t looking for a black dog,” Woods said. “But I guess when she heard his story, it got to her. And when she met him that was it.”

River’s new owner is an outdoorswoman, taking River with her hiking and cycling.

“He has a truly wonderful life,” Woods said.

Out of the Woods has helped in many hoarding situations and with puppy mill busts.

“So many times we stick our necks out and don’t know how we’re going to do something,” Woods said. “We think we’re in a situation that’s bigger than us, but we just take it on and somehow it always works out.”