Fayetteville animal services reports 1,253 intakes in 2024; board hears staffing, events and regional coordination updates

Fayetteville City Animal Services reported Thursday that it took in 1,253 dogs and cats in 2024, of which 765 were adopted and 48 were euthanized, during a quarterly update to the advisory board.

The data came during an overview delivered by Christine, an Animal Services staff member for Fayetteville City. "We ended up taking in 1,253 dogs and cats in 2024. 765 of those were adopted. We euthanized 48," Christine said, adding that the shelter reunited many animals with owners and worked with local rescues to rehome others.

The report said the shelter performed a total of 1,288 spay/neuter surgeries in 2024: 671 linked to adoptions and 617 income-based surgeries. Christine also reported lower overall euthanasia rates in 2024 compared with 2023 and described the 2024 cat euthanasia total as 22, and dog euthanasia as spread across temperament (12), health (10), rabies testing (3) and one court-ordered euthanasia.

Why it matters: those totals give the board a baseline for operations and resource planning, including medical and foster capacity and partnerships with local rescues.

Christine said January activity so far was similar to the previous January, with an early-month euthanasia rate of 6.2 percent. She noted two dogs were euthanized under a judge's order and two dogs and one cat were removed from rehoming consideration for safety or medical reasons.

Staffing and hiring

Christine told the board the administrative assistant position requested in the city budget was funded this year and drew a large applicant pool. "We had a ton of applications," she said, adding she closed applications after receiving "a little over 60" and had interviews scheduled the following day.

Event planning and fundraising

The board discussed planning for the annual pup crawl, with Christine saying she aims for about a dozen participating stops and expects to offer interactive activities and a home base at the Walnut Center. Last year the shelter had two top-tier sponsors at $1,000 each and most other sponsors at $500; Christine said she is open to adjusting sponsorship levels to increase support.

She described other revenue efforts: a supply drive last year that yielded enrichment items, adoption drives and a vendor-style attraction during events. Christine also announced PuppyGrams would go on sale the next day: a service inside Fayetteville city limits for a $50 minimum donation that sends a shelter dog and a rose to a recipient on Valentine’s Day.

Regional coordination

Christine described participation in a Northwest Arkansas shelter alliance that meets monthly and maintains a shared Airtable for lost-pet reports, requests for assistance and a centralized lost-pet database. "It gives us a centralized lost pet database," she said, adding that the tool helps shelters share requests for assistance, spot regional trends and coordinate during larger emergencies.

Board openings

Christine said one advisory board business representative seat is open through June and applications are accepted through Feb. 21, with application instructions on the city website or through the city clerk.

Discussion and questions

Board members asked about avian influenza precautions. Sarah, a resident in attendance, described personal concern about bird flu and poultry and asked whether the shelter was taking precautions. Christine said the shelter had just seen the issue come onto her radar and that the veterinarian was returning to work; she said she planned to follow up with the veterinarian and research the situation.

Administrative actions at meeting start

The board approved the previous meeting’s minutes and the meeting agenda by voice vote at the start of the session; both motions were called and approved by unanimous voice vote without recorded roll-call tallies.