Fort Smith Animal Haven

Fort Smith Animal Haven

Empowering Compassion

Fort Smith Animal Haven is dedicated to providing a safe haven for animals in need, offering refuge, treatment, and a meaningful pathway to loving forever homes. We aspire to build a future where care, comfort, and compassion lead the way to a world where every pawprint matters.

Our Story

Established in 2019 and rebranded in 2022, we were born from a commitment to address the needs of an ever-growing unwanted pet population in our area. Our founders sought to create a facility that offers more than a standard shelter, providing high-quality medical treatment and a true solution for the long haul. Since opening, we have successfully facilitated the adoption of nearly 11,000 animals.

A Haven for Healing

We serve as a vital community resource for abandoned, neglected, and lost animals, working in tandem with Fort Smith Animal Services. Our approach focuses on creating an inviting environment, featuring indoor and outdoor access for dogs, in-house surgery, and dedicated greeting rooms where families can meet their future companions. By incorporating calming elements like music throughout our kennels, we ensure every animal feels comforted while waiting for their next chapter.

Find Your New Best Friend

Adoption is a joyful partnership, and we are here to help you find a companion that is a perfect match for your life. We believe in the magic of love at first sight, and our passionate team is dedicated to ensuring both you and your new pet start your journey on the right foot. We invite you to visit us at 9501 Black Bear Trail to meet the wonderful animals currently waiting for their forever families.

Get Involved

There are many ways to support our mission, from adopting and fostering to volunteering or donating items like blankets and toys. Whether you are ready to bring a new friend home today or simply want to contribute to our work, your support helps us give these animals the second chance they deserve. Please browse our adoptable pets online or contact us at 479-551-2221 to learn more about how you can make a difference.

Trust Assessment
BronzeRated Aug 21, 2026
NonprofitVerifiedMunicipal PartnerOperating 5+ years
Finances
Online Review Highlights
  • Compassionate staff
  • Community engagement
  • Restrictive viewing policies
How we assess
Recent Videos

10/15 - 🐾❤️ Meet Mario – Your New Best Friend! ❤️🐾 It’s-a-me, Mario! 🍄🐶 And I’m on a mission to find my forever family! At 8 years young and 75 pounds of love, Mario is a sweet boy with a big heart and so much love to give! 🥰 Mario is great with other dogs and would love a home where he can enjoy some furry friendships. But what he’s really dreaming of is a family to call his own, a cozy spot to curl up, and someone to shower with all his love and cuddles. 💕 Mario is past those wild puppy days and ready for the good life—filled with love, companionship, and plenty of snuggles! 🏡 Could you be Mario’s happily ever after? This lovable guy has been waiting for his turn to be someone’s everything. Let’s make his dream of a forever home come true! ❤️🐾 https://fsmah.org/ Adopt Mario and let the cuddles begin! 🐶💕

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10/15 - 🐾💙 Meet Stretch – Your New Adventure Buddy! 💙🐾 If you love to have fun, then Stretch is your boy! 🐶❤️ Stretch is a 1-year-old, 45-pound bundle of energy, personality, and FUN who is ready to find his forever family! This handsome boy absolutely LOVES playing with other dogs and puppies! 🐕🐾 He’s always up for a good time, whether it’s running around with his furry friends, going for a car ride, or heading out for a walk. Although, let’s be honest… Stretch might be the one taking YOU for a walk! 😂 One of his favorite adventures is visiting Quick Discounts, where he gets to pick out his very own toy! 🧸🛒 And trust us, this boy knows how to shop! Stretch gets pretty excited when the fun first starts, but that’s just because he has so much love and energy to share! He would absolutely LOVE a home with a big yard where he can run, play, and burn off some of that puppy energy. ❤️ Stretch’s wish list: 🐾 A family who loves to have fun! 🐾 A big yard to run and play in! 🐾 Lots of toys and adventures! 🐾 Walks, car rides, and playtime! 🐾 A forever home where he can be loved! Stretch isn’t looking for a boring life… he’s looking for a best friend to make memories with! 💙 If you’re ready for laughter, adventures, and a whole lot of love, Stretch is ready to meet you! 🏡 Let’s get this fun-loving boy HOME! 🐾❤️ https://fsmah.org/

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10/12 - 🐾 MEET SABLE!! Your future running buddy, personal trainer, and adventure partner!🐾 This high-energy mini shepherd is packed with personality, brains, and enough excitement to keep you smiling (and moving!) every single day! 💛 ✨ SMART GIRL ALERT! Sable is incredibly intelligent and LOVES working for treats. Give this girl a challenge, and she’s ready to show off those brains! 🐕‍🦺 She loves to explore, go for jogs, learn new things, and show off her AMAZING athleticism. And those hops?! GIRL CAN FLY! 😂💨 Sable is looking for an active home that can keep her mind engaged, her body moving, and her heart full. She would prefer to be your one and only pet, so she can soak up all the attention and be the star of the show! 🌟 🏃‍♀️ Looking for a personal trainer? 🧠 Want a clever companion who loves to learn? 🌿 Dreaming of a four-legged adventure buddy? SABLE MIGHT JUST BE YOUR GIRL!❤️ Come meet this athletic, treat-loving sweetheart and see if she’s the missing piece of your adventure team! 🐾 Ready to meet Sable? Visit www.fsmah.org/adopt to get started! 📍 Fort Smith Animal Haven 9501 Black Bear Trail, Fort Smith, AR Adopt. Foster. Save a life.💛

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10/9 - Dirk needs some help Facebook friends! And still has not found his person. This boy needs a little extra TLC. He had struggled hard with shelter life. Growing up in a kennel is no way to start his puppy years, but here we are. If you didn’t know him… you might think he was scary… but if you took time to look past the mask.., you’ll see an insecure puppy just needing love and guidance. He’s a puppy that was left behind in a scary and overstimulating environment. While he may need some help to learn how to dog … he really is just a big scared baby needing security and to be taught how to dog. He’s currently located at Fort Smith Animal Haven in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He just needs a chance to be loved and learn what life looks like outside of these shelter doors. He would do best with a patient and experienced dog person to help him build confidence and work through some of his mouthy behaviors. Please consider meeting him or apply at www.fsmah.org/adopt Dirk is begging to be understood, loved, and adopted.

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10/8 - 🐾 TODD UPDATE!🐾 Remember Todd? 💔 The sweet boy who was found discarded at a dumpster, so weak and emaciated that he couldn’t even stand? Well, we have some GOOD NEWS.🥹❤️ Todd is officially on the road to recovery! Thanks to his incredible medical fosters—and an enormous amount of love, patience, and round-the-clock care—this boy is getting stronger every day. He has slowly started putting on weight, his strength is returning, and he’s even started to PLAY! 🥹 And apparently… Todd has discovered his personality along the way. 😂 This once incredibly weak boy has started showing off a surprisingly bossy side with his four-legged roommates! It’s honestly a pretty amazing thing to see after watching him fight so hard just to stand. These days, Todd is resting with a full belly, soft blankets, gentle hands, and people reminding him every single day that he is safe, he is loved, and he will never be mishandled or abandoned again.❤️ As Todd continues to recover, he is also showing us that he may be a dominant boy with other dogs. Once he is stronger and ready for the next step, he will need another foster to take over his care while we continue learning more about him. We are looking for a foster who is: 🐾 Experienced with dominant dogs 🐾 Comfortable helping us learn Todd’s personality and needs 🐾 Ideally has calm, easygoing animals—or no other pets Todd still has a road ahead of him, but look how far this boy has already come.🥹❤️ And none of this would be possible without YOU. Every meal. Every vet visit. Every blanket. Every medication. Every foster home. Every second chance. Todd’s recovery is a community effort. If you’re able, please consider donating below and helping us continue giving Todd—and the next animal who needs us—the second chance they deserve. ❤️ Thank you for helping us save lives.🐾❤️

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10/3 - Do you remember Gigi? The sweet, senior Yorkie that was seen being dumped on the side of the road with a kennel and a little bit of food? She was found in horrific conditions; estimated at 13 years old, covered in fleas, had extreme hair loss, what little fur she had was completed matter, almost completely blind and extremely skinny. Discarded like she meant nothing. The world can be a cruel and ugly place, we wanted to show you what a little bit of kindness and patience can do for something that can’t fend for themselves. Take a look at Gigi now! She is blossoming everyday and honestly looks like she’s aging backwards. Gigi was left with nothing, that all changed due to one person stepping up to help a sweet, old lady that needed a little extra love and time! Dogs like Gigi may not give you a lot of time, but time is irrelevant when you are showered with love and gratitude. Nothing is better than watching her live the rest of life without a care in the world and knowing she is safe. Hospice fostering and adopting might not be for everyone, but it is everything for that animal ❤️ Thank you Jerica for giving this girl the best golden years she could have!

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10/2 - Look at all these growing babies! 🐶💕 We’ve had so many mommas and puppies come through lately, and now those little ones are getting big enough to start weaning. That means we’re going through puppy food quickly! 🥫🐾 If you’re out shopping and would like to help, grabbing just a few cans would mean so much to us and to these sweet babies. We’ve also added our Amazon link below for quick and easy ordering. ❤️ Amazon https://a.co/05FqH63x Thank you, as always, for helping us keep little bellies full and babies growing strong! 🐶💕

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9/30 - Yesterday was one of those days… 💔 The kind of day that reminds you just how heartbreaking the reality of rescue can be. It’s hard to see. It’s hard to process. But it’s the truth. Meet Todd. 🐾 Todd was found left beside a dumpster, to weak to even move. Two young men found this sweet boy and refused to leave him there. They brought him to us and Animal Control, giving Todd the chance he desperately needed. When he arrived, he was so weak he couldn’t even stand. But somehow… through all of it… Todd still wagged his tail. He still tried to crawl closer to anyone who would give him comfort. That little tail wag told us everything we needed to know. ❤️ We immediately got to work. Todd received fluids,medical attention , and small feedings to help his body begin fighting its way back. He was severely anemic, emaciated, covered in fleas, and incredibly weak. After receiving medical attention, we cleaned this precious boy up and sent him into foster with members of our team, where he will receive the round-the-clock care, nourishment, warmth, and TLC he needs. Todd has a long road ahead of him. But he is already getting stronger by the minute. 🥹 And Todd… you may not know it yet, but you are already so loved. You will never be discarded again. You will never be left behind again. You will never have to struggle just to survive again. We promise you that. We are so invested in this boy and cannot wait to watch him transform from the fragile, broken-down dog who arrived at our doors into the happy, healthy, loved dog he was always meant to be. This is what rescue is. Sometimes it’s heartbreaking. Sometimes it’s exhausting. Sometimes it feels impossible. But then there are moments of redemption, come backs, and healing. Moments where we get the chance to say, “Not anymore. We’ve got you now.”❤️ Please keep Todd in your thoughts as he begins his long road to recovery. And if you’d like to help us continue saying “not anymore” to dogs like Todd, please consider making a donation. Every dollar helps us provide the medical care, food, supplies, foster support, and second chances these animals desperately need. Help us give Todd the happily ever after he deserves.🐾❤️

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9/30 - Well... after a few foster-to-adopt homes that didn’t quite work out, we’ve learned a little more about our small girl, Beanie. ❤️ Beanie LOVES her dog friends... she just doesn’t want to share her home with them. 😂 And honestly... I get that! She loves having her besties to play with at the dog park, but when the fun is over, she wants to go home to HER bed, HER things, and HER people. 🥹 That has made finding her perfect person a little harder, but we know they’re out there! Beanie is the sweetest girl and loves her people HARD. She enjoys car rides, loves playing in the water, and has the best time with her dog friends. She’s also a staff and volunteer favorite when someone needs a coffee-run copilot or a quick excuse to take a potty-break buddy. 😂☕🐾 Beanie is ALWAYS ready to clock out of kennel duty for a little adventure! But at the end of the day, she wants to be the one and only spoiled girl in her home. 💕 Please share and help us find Beanie’s people! She deserves so much more than a kennel. She deserves a home where she can be free to be her sweet, silly, loving self. 🐾❤️ https://fsmah.org/adopt/available-dogs/

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9/28 - 💙 MILO IS WAITING… AND HE’S STILL HOLDING ON TO HIS “BABY.”💙 Every day, Milo waits. He waits for someone to walk through the gate and choose him. He waits for the moment he finally gets to leave the shelter and discover what it feels like to be someone’s boy. In the meantime, this big, nervous sweetheart has found a little way to cope with the stress of shelter life… he carries his “baby” everywhere.🥹💙 Most days, you’ll find Milo sitting and waiting, big blue ball in his mouth, ready to greet us with those sweet eyes. He may be a little nervous at first, but underneath that big exterior is a boy who desperately wants a chance to feel safe, loved, and wanted. And when Milo finds his person, we hope they’ll understand that his blue ball isn’t just a toy. It’s his comfort. His support. His baby. And he’d really love to take it with him when he goes home.💛 Please consider giving Milo a chance. Come meet this sweet boy and see if you might be the person he’s been waiting for. 🐾 📍 Fort Smith Animal Haven 9501 Black Bear Trail Fort Smith, AR 🐶 apply at www.fsmah.org/adopt Milo has been waiting long enough. Could you be his person?💙

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9/28 - Adoption Pending! 🐾 MEET CHURCHILL — THE SWEETEST BOY AROUND!🐾 If you’re looking for a big-hearted love bug with the happiest personality, Churchill might just be your guy! ❤️ This sweet boy is ready to find a wonderful family to call his own, and he has SO much love to give. He’s done great with other dogs and doesn’t seem to mind cats, making him a pretty fantastic family addition! 🐶🐱 Now, we should probably warn you about one thing… Churchill is a certified Houdini! 😂 He’s a clever boy who likes to keep his people on their toes, so a secure home and a little extra supervision will be important for this adventurous sweetheart. But underneath all that mischief is a boy who simply wants to be loved and included. ❤️ Come meet Churchill and see for yourself why this happy boy is so special! 📍 Fort Smith Animal Haven 9501 Black Bear Trail, Fort Smith, AR Apply at www.fsmah.org/adopt 👉 Come by and meet him! His forever family could be just one visit away. 🐾❤️ PS he loves to dress up and show off his hats and clothes 🥹

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Visit Us At

9501 Black Bear Trail, Fort Smith, AR 72916

info@fsmah.org
479-551-2221
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