Bonnie Helvey and ARFS: Working to make life better for pets and pet owners

EPHRATA — Bonnie Helvey isn’t in her office in Ephrata on Fridays – which is part of her retirement plan, she said – but she’s not just at home. On a recent Friday she was on the road to Issaquah, dropping off some dogs at a foster home and picking up a cat for transfer to another foster home. Helvey is one of the co-founders of Animal Rescue Friends Society of Grant County, and its job is to help animals that are in need.

“I’ll be able to do this more when I’m retired,” Helvey said.

ARFS of Grant County was founded in 2019 by Helvey and friends Annette Hernandez and Tracy Williams, later Tracy Hill. 

“We came up with an acronym, and we came up with a name to go with the acronym,” Helvey said. “We kept coming with words for those letters until we finally got what we wanted.”

Tracy Hill remained active with ARFS even while she was battling the cancer that eventually led to her death in late May. 

“She was there from the very beginning,” Helvey said. “She was battling the cancer; she was still fostering some puppies when she felt well enough to do it. She kept saying, ‘As soon as I get better, I’m going to take on some more puppies.’ She loved fostering. I can’t tell you how many fosters she had, from Great Pyrenees to the little floofies. She was an amazing lady.”

The ARFS organization began with a dog found wandering near Quincy in July 2019. She’d been out on her own for a while and looked like it. Helvey and Hernandez caught her and named her Muffy because, Helvey said in an earlier interview, she looked like a ragamuffin. The organization’s goal remains what it was when Helvey, Hill and Hernandez founded it and worked to come up with a name.

“We want to make life better for pet owners, and we want to make life better for pets,” Helvey said.

ARFS Grant County is one of several animal rescue organizations working in Grant and Adams counties. Helvey said one of ARFS’ goals is to encourage closer cooperation between them. That followed a conversation with Grant County Commissioner Rob Jones, who asked why that didn’t seem to be happening very much. 

“I looked and him and said, ‘I think you’re spot-on.’ We have the same goal, so let’s start working together. So, I talked with a few other rescues who are coordinating in working with the shelters and moving animals – and not just the movement of animals, but in a lot of other ways, too,” Helvey said. 

The end of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a substantial increase in the number of animals being surrendered by their owners or just left to fend for themselves. That trend has continued even as the pandemic is over, Helvey said. As a result, all the rescue organizations have a lot to do. Some of the situations they encounter are pretty unpleasant, she said.

“It’s the reality that we get into some of the worst of the worst situations, and we all break down sometimes,” Helvey said.

ARFS and other groups have found dogs and cats that were sick or starving, sometimes beaten or abused, sometimes neglected. They rely on a network of local veterinary clinics, particularly Pioneer Veterinary Clinic in Moses Lake, and volunteers statewide to help care for animals while they are treated and recover. Volunteers also provide temporary homes. 

Animal rescue groups like ARFS pay for the care over time, funded by adoption fees and donations.

Unfortunately, not all of the animals the organizations find do recover. Recently a person contacted ARFS about starving and injured animals at a nearby house. One of the puppies removed from the house couldn’t be saved.

“It was in a neglect situation,” Helvey said.

Education is part of the ARFS’ mission, she said, since some people are not familiar with state laws regarding animals – sometimes not even animal control officers. State law limits the number of animals allowed on a property but not everyone knows that, she said. There are also regulations governing the sale of dogs and cats. Helvey said she plans to advocate for additional regulations in Grant County.

Spaying and neutering are an important part of reducing the animal population, but in some cases animal owners are reluctant to do it or can’t afford it, she said. Education on the benefits of spaying and neutering and keeping animals – fixed or not – from running loose is another of ARFS’ goals, Helvey said.

The group takes donations of dog and cat food, dog and cat toys and blankets, Helvey said. Money donations also are accepted. People can find a list of needs on the ARFS website, www.arfsgc.com. Pets can be viewed as well, for those looking to adopt. 

Its members and volunteers want to be advocates for animals in need.

“We want to give a voice to animals, because they don’t have a voice for themselves,” Helvey said.

ARFS of Grant County accepts donations of dog and cat food, toys and blankets, which are used by animals group members care for.

The late Tracy Hill cuddles a dog rescued by Animal Rescue Friends Society of Grant County. Hill was one of the group’s founding members.

Kittens on their way to foster homes, courtesy of ARFS of Grant County. The organization not only works to find new homes for dogs and cats, but to educate people on laws and proper care of animals.