The Capel family gathers around their newly adopted puppy at the Fayetteville Animal Shelter on Friday. The Chihuahua was abused by her former owner, and Tessa Capel said she was excited to offer her a loving home.
Photo: Caroline Bauman
Thanks to Mitchell Communications Group, Christmas came a little early for four-year-old Cepriana Capel this year.
In an “act of random kindness,” a team from the Fayetteville-based company decided to sponsor every available pet at the Fayetteville Animal Shelter on Thursday, Dec. 20, meaning all adoption fees are covered. Adoption fees per animal can range from $30 to $60.
“She’s been begging for a puppy for her Christmas gift,” Cepriana’s mother Tessa Capel said. “We wanted to adopt, to give that animal a second chance. Because all of the adoption fees are taken care of, this is a task we could take on financially.”
A pup up for adoption returns to his kennel after playing outside on Friday.
Caroline Bauman
The donation came as a total surprise, Fayetteville Animal Services Superintendent Justine Lentz said.
“The Mitchell team just walked in and asked how they could help,” Lentz said. “After walking around and visiting with our animals, they decided to sponsor every one of them. This will especially help draw attention to animals who have been with us for a while.”
Sponsoring the shelter was just one part of the Mitchell Group’s annual giveback program, “Ignite,” President and CEO Elise Mitchell said. Nine teams were given $500 and four hours to spend it all away on random acts of kindness in the community.
“Our team picked the shelter, and we arrived not necessarily knowing what the need was,” Mitchell said. “Walking cage to cage and seeing all the animals, I couldn’t help but fall in love with every one of them. I couldn’t walk about without trying to give each one a home.”
During the holiday season, the shelter usually sees an upswing in adoptions, Lentz said. This donation was the first time the shelter had any interaction with the Mitchell Group, and Lentz said she was eternally grateful to the company for thinking of them.
Superintendent Justine Lentz answers a phone call at the front desk of the Fayetteville Animal Shelter.
Caroline Bauman
“To me, this is the perfect time to act on what the holiday season is truly about,” said Lentz, the owner of three dogs and one cat. “You see people being kinder to people and animals alike. It’s a great time to think about how your lives can be improved by bringing pets into your family.”
In addition to the animal shelter, Mitchell teams volunteered their time and resources at local organizations and charities, such as 7Hills Homeless Center, Lifesource International and the Veterans Administration Hospital.
“Every year we learn how much need in our community isn’t being met on a daily basis,” Mitchell said. “Fayetteville is our home, and we feel it has given so much to us. We want to repay it and give back in any small way.”
In the future, Lentz said she hoped people will be inspired by the actions of the Mitchell teams.
“It’s amazing the ripple effect one good action can have on the community,” Lentz said. “I want people to realize that the small actions, such as adopting or sponsoring one animal, can also make a huge difference.”
After some deliberation, the Capel family decided to adopt a Chihuahua. The dog was abused by her former owner, and Tessa Capel said she was excited to offer her a new and loving home.
“I’m going to name her Cupcake,” Cepriana said, smiling. “She’s going to be safe with me.”
More photos
Cepriana Capel sits with her family member, Maggie Capel, and newly adopted Chihuahua on Friday, Dec. 21. Cepriana said she hopes to name her puppy, “Cupcake.”
Caroline Bauman
Carmen Jones holds her 11-month-old baby while looking at dogs at the Fayetteville Animal Shelter on Friday. Jones said her family is looking to adopt a pet for Christmas.
Caroline Bauman
Two of Animal Services Superintendent Justine Lentz’s pups perch on the desk of the Fayetteville Animal Shelter. Lentz said even on a bad day, having her pets at work brings her joy.
Caroline Bauman
A volunteer at the Fayetteville Animal Shelter leads a dog into its kennel Friday, Dec. 21. Superintendent Justine Lentz said she hopes to see an increase in adoptions throughout the holiday season.
Caroline Bauman
What a great story. Thumbs up for Elise Mitchell and Mitchell Communications Group!
Love the animal pics, story. Happy holidays everyone. Great spirit of local people, in this tale.
Waives.
I’m gonna be the Grinch!
This is wonderful of MitchComm, the shelter can always use the money but… if a potential pet parent can’t afford $60 that goes toward a spay/neuter, microchip AND round of shots, then they cannot afford to own a pet. This is a drop in the bucket when you consider long-term pet ownership and if $60 is a barrier, maybe a dog is not for you.
Also, puppies for Christmas: keeping shelter full in January since forever.
You have every right to the be the Grinch, but I wish you’d chosen not to be. Yes, some (not all – I got my shelter dog two years ago and her fees were “sponsored” and it was definitely a good incentive to finally make the choice to make the commitment) of what you say is true, but it would be nice to just enjoy the generosity for a few days before we start to point out the problems.
Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. The alternative for a lot of those animals is euthanasia. I bet they prefer life in a lower income household to the big sleep.
But maybe the family just couldn’t afford the adoption fee at holiday time when finances are tight for many because of extra expenses. They can save up for shots, etc.
Thanks for all the nice comments. Your right the sponsorship was the incentive to adopt. :) I love our wonderful dog!!!
I do hope that you read my reply at the bottom of the comments. I am so sorry that you misunderstood what I was saying in the article.
Thank you for the wonderful article but more importantly, for helping to bring attention to the Shelter and the many animals that needs homes. On Friday, we learned that the shelter had a dozen or so animals adopted that day. Our hope is that their cages will be empty by Christmas and all of these beautiful creatures can find a permanent home.
We also want to thank all of the other non-profits we were able to help that day through our Ignite program. The valiant work they do for those in need are one of the things that make Fayetteville such a wonderful place to call home. We are humbled by their service and support them in every way. We have been so blessed to be a part of this community and we hope that our giving will inspire many others to give back any way they can.
This is incredible. I first saw FAS’s post on facebook about how to sponsor a pet at their facility. I made a mental note to stop by when I got back into town and sponsor a kitty. The next day, they followed up with this story. It brought tears to my eyes.
Does anyone know where I might find a list or something of area organizations that need volunteers? I really want to participate in the #26acts movement that Ann Curry mentioned on twitter, but my financial situation doesn’t easily lend itself to donations. I’d rather just donate my time. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Happy Holidays, flyer staff and readers! Thank you for keeping me entertained during those long afternoons at work. :)
The Humane Society of the Ozarks and the Washington County Animal Shelter can always use volunteers for adoption drives, fostering animals, transporting goods, etc.
If you like horses and kids, I recommend Equestrian Bridges. They do equine-assisted therapy for children with Autism and children on the Autism spectrum.
You can also check out the Facebook and Twitter account of the UA’s VAC. They tweet/post daily about wonderful volunteer opportunities in the Northwest Arkansas community and you don’t have to be a student to join in. They post everything from reading to kids to planting trees. Not all opportunities require a major or long-term time commitment, so there’s truly something for everyone.
Thank you for the info, blarrrgh! I will check all of those out!
Thank you Mitchell group for this selfless act of kindness. Your gift of life and happiness for these animals and the adoptive families has definitely raised the bar here in NWA and brought some much needed attention to the needs of our shelters. Even if the kennels are not emptied by Christmas the available space you helped create means many more animals in the new year will have more time to find a forever home. This was truly a gift that keeps on giving!
Merry Christmas to all that made this event possible!
Waves
I am the family in the article and you are totally confused about my family. Yes money is a little tight because of Christmas for my daughter but we can more than afford to take care of the dog. She is thriving in my house! She is well taken care of here. I am nowhere near low income. I have had a rescue cat for over 10 years now. Sorry to disappoint you that I am not low income. When I talked about it being something we could take on meant that with the adoption fees being waived we could do it instead of adopting and then having to pay out the nose to have her spayed. This dog totally deserved a second chance!!! Thank you Mitchell communications for you generous gift!!! My family is totally in love with our wonderful dog!!!