Sparking the Movement to End Pet Homelessness with Jackie Roach of Best Friends Animal Society NWA

Summary

On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Jackie Roach, Executive Director of Best Friends Animal Society - Northwest Arkansas, a leading animal welfare organization pioneering the no-kill movement. Best Friends is working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters by 2025, and has helped reduce the number of animals killed from an estimated seventeen million per year to around three-hundred-forty-seven thousand. In addition to building Best Friends’ presence in Northwest Arkansas, Jackie is also the Co-founder of Taysia Blue Rescue, a nonprofit organization that envisions a time where all adoptable Siberian huskies and Alaskan malamutes have a loving home. Throughout the episode, James and Jackie discuss the importance of fostering animals, what Best Friends hopes to achieve and how the community can get involved in working to make the world a kinder and more compassionate place with Best Friends' new Pet Resource Center in Northwest Arkansas.   

Thanks for tuning in!

Show Notes

(0:51) Introduction to Jackie

(2:57) About Taysia Blue Rescue

(6:00) Why Breed-Specific Rescues Are Needed

(8:26) About Best Friends and Its Mission

(9:38) Bentonville’s Community-Based Resource Center

(12:13) The Benefits of Fostering Pets

(16:02) Community Pet Pantries

(18:20) Available Vet Services

(23:29) Bentonville’s Business Community and Culture

(25:52) #BecauseBentonville Story

(30:17) Closing Questions

‍Links

James Bell

Bentonville Economic Development 

Jackie Roach

Best Friends Animal Society

Taysia Blue Rescue

Best Friends Pet Resource Center Northwest Arkansas

Quotes

“We understand there are going to be some animals in shelters that are too sick or too not behaviorally sound to make it into the community or be adopted. So no kill is really just a benchmark. We look at a ninety percent save rate. We’re working with every shelter and community to try and help them achieve that.” - Jackie Roach, (8:50)

“An animal shelter is a very transactional place…What we want to do, the idea of the community supported shelter, is inviting the community to help be a part of the solution as we reach out to the community in need.” - Jackie Roach, (11:13)

“Foster care is really important. An animal shelter is a very dangerous, unhealthy place for a cat or dog to live for a lot of different reasons. Disease can be very prevalent, and just the environment of being in a cage and seeing other animals is very stressful.”  - Jackie Roach, (12:14)

“[Bentonville] is like no other place I’ve ever been. It’s really incredible. The community is so open and willing to listen and to help…It’s just a really unique thing.” - Jackie Roach, (23:29)