If this was the NBA Playoffs of dog rescue, Animal Rescue Fund of Mississippi (ARF) would be the Miami Heat, a scrappy No. 8 seed that knocked off the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds on their way to the Finals. Dog rescue is a labor of love regardless of where you live, but in Jackson, Mississippi, there are obstacles piled upon obstacles that Pippa Jackson and her crew continually overcome against all odds. It's a city beset by water problems (the shelter was without water for at least an entire week twice this year!), and taxbase issues, set in the middle of the hot, hot, South, where the humidity and temps live above 90 most of the summer. Add in the propensity folks have here for letting their dogs run wild and multiply, and you have way too many strays and abandoned dogs who need a home. That's where ARF comes in. My wife Cindy has volunteered at ARF for years, and I have helped out here and there when I can. We currently have two ARF rescues, Finn (10) and Brownie (3). I want to share a story about a recent rescue and the opportunity Cindy and I were given by ARF to foster a young puppy who had been beaten and left for dead. A mailman spotted this puppy lying in a yard in an underserved community, looking pitiful and too weak to walk, and called ARF. Peggy Harrell thankfully answered the phone and said she'd come look for it. She found the puppy and went to the door of the house and was told by a woman there she better leave quickly, so Peggy did, with a broken little boy ARF named Ricky in tow. Ricky's jaw was broken on both sides. His mouth was full of infections. The vet estimated he'd gone a week without food or water. Another day, and he would have died. Pippa posted some photos on the ARF Facebook page and they made you want to throw up. Here was this emaciated little puppy, ribs showing, blood and black gunk hanging out of his infected little mouth, in bad need of someone to nurse him back to health. The purpose of Pippa's post was to seek a foster family. I volunteered us, then asked Cindy if that was OK. A week later, Pippa called, and Cindy couldn't say no. A veterinarian had fixed Ricky's jaw, and nearly two weeks after Peggy had rescued him, we brought him home. His jaw was much better, but he was still a skinny 10-pound bag of bones on meds who couldn't chew hard food. For three weeks, Cindy gave him meds and blended hard puppy food with water into a mush that Ricky then slurped like soup from a bowl - four times a day! It wasn't long before he was doing puppy things, wrestling with Brownie, using the doggie door, sprinting zoomies around the backyard and chewing anything he could get his teeth on, including us! After six weeks he weighed 30 pounds. After nine weeks, he had a new home! We are happy to report that Ricky is now named Boomer - isn't that a great dog name, Boomer!? - and has found a forever home, thanks to ARF partner 3 Dogs Rescue of Berwick, Maine. This is just one rescue story of hundreds ARF performs each year. There have been plenty of other Rickys and will be many more. Everyday seems to bring a different story, another hurdle to jump. Still, no odds seem too big to overcome. You watch what Pippa and her small staff do every day, it's hard to say no when she asks for help. It would be difficult to find a non-profit shelter that does more with less than ARF does every single day.
Thank you for allowing me to share our story and to spread the word about the good work Pippa Jackson and ARF do every day!
Rusty Hampton
photo cutlines: No. 1 - Ricky on March 5, the day Peggy rescued him. No. 2 - Ricky March 19 at our home, about to get his meds. No. 3 - Ricky on May 13 in our backyard. No. 4 - Boomer on June 1, zonked out after an afternoon of backyard zoomies at his new forever home.
I have adopted 2 dogs from ARF and they were wonderfully cared for until I was able to find them. The staff is friendly, the facility is organized and the animals are well cared for. When we visited looking to add a new member to our family, we were taken through the facility but also there were particular dogs suggested as they knew what we were looking for. We had the opportunity to meet and spend time with many of the dogs to be sure we were bringing home the right match for our family. I also volunteer with a norther rescue who partners with ARF and have been to their facility many times to evaluate dogs for our program. I enjoy visiting ARF and I am thankful for the work they do!
This shelter is in the heart of Jackson, MS. As you may know from the news, Jackson has some issues, especially the lack of stable drinking water. This issue not only affects the homes and businesses, but also shelters like ARF. No steady water means toting buckets of water into the shelter to wash down the pens, using bottled water for the animals drinking water, and no water for laundry.
Like most no-kill shelters, ARF is ran by dedicated staff who is over worked and under paid, in a facility that is full of pets needing a good home. But this staff is also professional, during the COVID crisis, ARF found homes for 500 animals with zero returned.
ARF is a great shelter and has hard working staff. They try their best to make a difference in the lives of animals. The shelter is in an area where there are frequent animals dumped and yet they manage to make room. They are hoping to relocate to a new facility in the coming year.
Visited ARF today to take some dontations given by community members. These people work so hard. Did a walk through and came to appreciate what it takes to do this kind of work. I saw very few dog that were sick or looked bad. The one that I did see that was thin and bruised was a dog recently left at the shelter over night. I saw healthy happy puppies. Clean and playful. The staff was very friendly. Both the Director and her husband were on site and both were engaging with the staff and the dogs. They showed me their adoption records for the past year. Hundreds of dogs and cats adopted. The cat room was clean and those cats are having so much fun! No, it's not perfect. How could it be? But I was so glad to see that these dogs and cats had hope for a better future.
I visited ARF a few months ago in hopes of adopting a companion animal and was blown away by the deplorable, filthy conditions and the incompetent staff. I usually don't write reviews, but I felt the need to do some internet research on ARF after witnessing animals in such horrendous conditions. I am totally shocked that this place has a single good review, and that local law enforcement/HSUS hasn't shut this place down already.
ARF is located in a metal-roofed, light industrial building off Mayes St. in Jackson. The first thing I noticed was the stench of urine and feces, which was so powerful I couldn't get the smell out of my hair and skin after a shower. When I asked a staff member to show me around, he silently led me through the warehouse portion of the shelter, which consisted of several rows of metal cages. As we walked, I noticed the leaking metal roof and the recessed trench running the length of the caged rows. Apparently this trench is used as a rudimentary plumbing system. I witnessed ARF employees hosing out OCCUPIED cages caked in feces, allowing the sewage to run into the trench between my feet. When I asked the employee about specific animals, he just shrugged and said he didn't know their names or histories, but he was keen on telling me which ones I shouldn't adopt. That's right. He told me I shouldn't adopt multiple animals from the shelter. I asked about one dog in particular, a blue and white pitty, who was being "treated" for heart worms at the time. The employee said, "You don't want him, he gonna die soon." Shortly after, the employee introduced me to his boss, Elizabeth, who had just arrived and seemed to be well informed about all the goings-on around the shelter.
She walked me around the warehouse again, introducing me to dogs and telling their stories. It was an immediate red flag to see dogs with mange, matted fur, open wounds, etc. who had been living in the shelter for up to ten years!! Those dogs looked like they needed to be rescued from the rescue fund. ARF is blatantly at capacity, bordering on animal hoarding and after inspecting living conditions, appears to be misusing funds.
The cat portion of the "shelter" is even worse. The cats all look sluggish and diseased with ooze dripping from their nose and eyes, matted or balding, and flea ridden. All the animals in this shelter look like they need to be rescued.
This whole thing stinks, literally. Somebody needs to do some investigating around Elizabeth and her Animal "Rescue" Fund.
Review from Guidestar
What a wonderful organization!!! ARF is such a special place- It has been such a treat to watch them grow from a grass roots organization born out of the director, Elizabeth Jackson's love, and dedication to animals after hurricane Katrina displaced and left so many abandoned animals in the Jackson metro area after the storm to the wonderful inner city shelter it is today. . She has taken ARF from a dream to one of the most amazing no kill shelters in the state of Mississippi!! ARF is such a well run, top notch facility where the animals are loved and well cared for. Kudos to Mr and Mrs Jackson for all the sacrifices they make in their lives so that so many animals can have a better life!!!
I learned about ARF of MS last year and have enjoyed following them and their stories. I am an avid animal lover and love reading all of their success stories. I live out of state but feel close and connected to them through the common bond of animal care. Even though I've seen and worked with many other shelters, in several different states, they stand out to me. Their care and concern for the welfare of ALL animals is genuine and their organization is unique. Whenever I am able I love being able to donate what I can and help them. I can't wait until I can come visit them one day!
My husband and I have adopted two dogs from this wonderful shelter. The staff has a knack for finding the right animal for the right home. Within only 2 hours our first dog had already made himself at home and found his favorite spots in the house. We were so happy with our first adoption we decided to give a second dog a home and have never regretted out decision. We continue to support this shelter whenever we can and need to do more. It's heartwarming to have a no kill shelter in the area helping animals that are thrown away like nothing more than trash.
I have volunteered for ARF for over 5 years and have had a great experience there. They help as many animals as they can, and people don't realize how much pressure is put on them to help ALL of them. They do their best, and it really shows. I adopted my dog from them, and I can't imagine where he would be now if it wasn't for them. This is a great organization that needs more volunteers and donations to help the animals.
I had the honor of giving two tours at the new ARF facility yesterday. I didn't call ahead, didn't give any warning. Just showed up with friends. I do volunteer there one day a week and am very proud of the new facility. Yesterday, these two families were very impressed and pleased with all they saw. ARF has grown in many ways. Adoption rates have doubled, volunteers are there daily, attitudes are good all the way around. This is a tough business. The stories are sad, the funds are low, the moral however is high at ARF. All are welcome to visit, volunteer and adopt. You will be greeted by people who genuinely want to be there and expect no personal gain or recognition. Just good folks wanting to do good for the animals. Glad to be a part of this organization.
I volunteered for this organization for over 2 years. when i started, people started to warn me about their director Elizabeth Pippa Jackson. These were people that called her their friend and workers there as well. They told me she misused funds and was mean as a snake. I foolishly did not believe it because she charmed me.
After being there a few months, I first hand witnessed them using grants and donations for things other than what they were intended. They would lie to the public to get support and trick people into donating money. Their rescue was a hell hole for animals on Rankin County. They were kicked out of Rankin County for good reason. They were hoarding animals. The director never visited the shelter. They hired drug addicts and people with criminal histories hoping they would be loyal and keep their mouth shut. Many of the animals were not spayed so they reproduced. They did not vet the animals. Several died of heat strokes cause there was no shelter from the heat and sun and rain. The vets they used would all say that their dogs were eat up with worms and diseases. They never treated a single animal for heartworms, and did not warn adopters of that. So most had deadly heartworms. The kennels were so overcrowded the animals would get in fights real often. Many got terrible wounds. Some were disabled. Some had eyes missing, even some with missing limbs from fighting.
The main caregiver at the shelter kicked and abused the dogs. They often ran out of food and did not provide clean water. They won a grant to build a cat building. Instead of using the money for that, they just put an old trailer, like from the back of an 18 wheeler, and put cats in it. The cats all had diseases, watery eyes, coughing, not worth adopting. There was no vents. Litter never cleaned.
The dog kennels were caked in a mix of mud pee and poop. They were all outside with no cover over them so every time it rained it made more mud. The dogs never got walks or baths.
Then that Pippa woman would drive volunteers away on droves. She is a psycho b***h. She calls an haraases people, threatens them, posts all kinds of crazy, mean posts on her facebook page. If you dared question her, she would tell lies about you to get other people to hate you. Even her closest allys will tell you she is a mean grinch. She does not care about the animals. She does it for attention. The only people who care are the volunteers. and they all end up leaving cause of her.
They wont even let people in their house cause they horde animal there as well. There neighbors would often tell us about how the dogs howled all night and that they had destroyed the inside of home. So they jsut waited for her mom to die and moved in her house and left the dogs in the old house. There was a very suspicious fire at their old house while dogs and cats were in it. Insurance would not even pay for it and is still investigating it. she used that to beg for money again and used it on herself, not the animals or repairs.
They also owe over 15 vets in town 100,000 or more total. They find a new vet and run up a bunch of bills then leave and never pay them. She has been arrested for bad checks and not paying bills. Check her record. she also got arrested in rankin county for dumping a dog at somebody's house an would not come get it. she tells people she was arrested for not rescuing an animal. The don't even make sense.
She is also an alcoholic and uses drugs. She gets drunk every night and gets on websites posting threats and talking bad about people. She abuses her husband.
I wish I had never met her. I stayed for the animals. Then she started real bad rumors about a bunch of us to get us to leave. she knew we were leading an investigation and documenting things. That is when she started lying to the public about why she had to leave Rankin County.
She has some powerful friends so she gets away with things. They threaten and bully people, send anonymous letters, have fake lawyers send letters.
When ARF is in contests, they also pay for votes. They tried to accuse another shelter of doing this when they were. They paid for votes for themselves and the other shelter. Then they reported the other place to try and get them kicked out of contest.
Pippa has lots of supporters. It is bc they never went to her old shelter or they would not be loving her. They have anew place in jackson now. it is a big plae with no air or heat. they had to give all the dogs and cats shots, baths and flea and tick meds when they got there cause they had never kept records at the old place and had no idea which ones had gotten them. Many never had. Still do not prevent heartworms. they even had people checkin of the dogs were spayed cause they did not know whoch ones were not. Awful.
After you adopt they charge you $120 and say you have to take dog to get fixed and they pay for it. But when you call to get it done, they dodge the calls. They will scream and holler at people for not fixing their pets but do not even do it to their own adoptions. they also say that money covers shots but half the time don't give them. and they tell you to call back for rest of shots, then never give them. lots of adopters will tell you that.
They have had parvo at the old and new shelter so many times bc they do not give shots. they don't even post about it most of time cause they do not want people to know. all there dogs have invisible hookworms which causes bloody poop.
Pippa steals dogs too. there is video on youtube.
charles is mean too. that is her husband. he cusses at people.
If you give them money you are supporting animal abuse and neglect. They have been investigated by human society. Still are i think. And other places are looking into them to cause I keep getting calls. So i decided i need post this so people know. it is time to shut em down.
This organization is the real deal! They care for the most animals with the absolute least overhead. Their facility is simple and spotless. Volunteers are inspired by the founder to show love and compassion to any and all God's creatures. Using a "no-kill" shelter philosophy, they turn none away and always find ways to mend broken bodies and treat painful memories. This group deserves our support!
I am the founder and director of this organization. The org is responsible for rescue, rehabilitation and adoption of multitudes of animals from the southeastern united states. We take in the animals that others reject and look away from whilst traveling down the road of life. We give a chance to those others would ignore. We take on their cause and give them a voice. Currently, we are re-writing our business plan and relocating to a location to provide our residents a more accessible option for the public to come and consider them in their lives. WE are a positive opportunity for homeless animals within our community.