This nationwide event was established to promote the adoption of mixed-breed and special needs dogs. Abandoned pets often wander onto roads and highways where they can be injured or killed. Jackson County has no comprehensive program to deal with this issue, so volunteers pick the animals up and arrange for emergency care at the Sylva Animal Hospital. People often leave whole litters of unwanted puppies and kittens at garbage dumps and by the roadside. ARF volunteers foster them in their homes and provide them with medical care if needed.
Volunteers also rescue animals from the Jackson County animal shelter.
The shelter nearly always operates at capacity, which means that unclaimed pets must be euthanized after only a few days. ARF volunteers foster as many of these animals as they can. However, the problems persist. The Jackson County Animal Shelter took in more than 700 dogs and 500 cats in 1998. Some 7.6 million homeless dogs and cats are euthanized in the Unites States each year.