A view of the Best Friends Pet Resource Center in Bentonville, Arkansas
Russell Bloodworth

Visit the Best Friends Pet Resource Center!

Located in the heart of Bentonville, Arkansas, the Best Friends Pet Resource Center is a first-of-its-kind, fully modernized facility that reinvents how dogs, cats, and even humans experience animal sheltering.

Our animal companions are an integral part of our family, and the pet resource center was designed with that in mind. It’s a place for the entire community to connect with pets — a place to adopt your next dog or cat, explore resources for guidance or support with current pets, or simply to gather with and enjoy family and friends.

Since opening its doors in March of 2023, the Best Friends Pet Resource Center has found loving homes for more than 5,000 dogs and cats! Read our second-year anniversary report for more information about the impact of the center in Arkansas.

 

Take a 360-degree look at the Best Friends Pet Resource Center!

This 360-degree tour was created for Best Friends NWA by students at Helen Tyson Middle School in Springdale, Arkansas.

A young woman kneels beside a light brown dog in an orange bandana

Want to be an ambassador for the animals?

We need your help! As a volunteer ambassador, you'll give tours of the building, greet visitors, and help our team with selling merchandise and signing up new volunteers.
Yes, I Want to Help!
Bentonville Icon

Connecting pets and people of Northwest Arkansas

The Best Friends Pet Resource Center is more than just a place to adopt a pet. It is a first-of-its-kind, fully reimagined shelter that offers resources and services for both people and pets.

It’s a place where people can spend time with adoptable animals, take an adoptable dog out to explore Bentonville for the day, stop into our volunteer space to make toys for pets, find a pet to foster, and so much more. 

Our veterinary clinic also provides vital veterinary care to the adoptable animals in our care and in the care of our community partner organizations, as well as to community cats from around the region. 

See everything the new center has to offer

Vital veterinary care

Our clinic provides quality veterinary care for community partners and qualifying families.
Smiling person holding a fluffy cat in a veterinary clinic

Help for the community

Our pet food and supplies pantry ensures no pet in our community goes hungry.
Smiling person sitting outside with a dog

Lend a hand

Check out our volunteer bridge, literally linking people to pets.
Smiling person looking at a dog they're sitting with on a sidewalk

A place to connect

Meet a friend or just relax with a beverage at Third Space Coffee.
Person holding a Best Friends travel mug while sitting with a dog outside

Lifesaving art

Enjoy beautiful sculptures as you explore the grounds.
Orange statue of two cats affectionately rubbing against each other

Meet your new best friend

Spend quality time with adoptable dogs and cats.
Person smiling while petting a cat on their shoulder
Events Icon

Meet awesome pets, find your people

Don’t miss these great events.

7 upcoming events
* = registration required
Oct 23 Friday
Paint and Sip *
4:30pm–6:30pm CT

Paint with Purpose: You’ll have the opportunity to paint one of the bright faces of our adoptable animals looking for a home!

Paint with Purpose: You’ll have the opportunity to paint one of the bright faces of our adoptable animals looking for a home! Any artist level is encouraged to come and paint a portrait of any of our adoptable animals that will go home with their future adopter.

Location: Best Friends Pet Resource Center

1312 Melissa Dr
Bentonville, AR 72712
United States

Register Today
Oct 25 Sunday
Paw-lloween Town *
1:00pm–4:00pm CT

The center will transform into a nostalgic Halloween backdrop with crafts and treats that usher in all the fall vibes.

The center will transform into a nostalgic Halloween backdrop with crafts and treats that usher in all the fall vibes. While costumes are not required, you won't want to miss the costume contest prizes.

Location: Best Friends Pet Resource Center

1312 Melissa Dr
Bentonville, AR 72712
United States

Register Today
Oct 29 Thursday
Kitty Bingo: Halloween Edition *
5:00pm–6:00pm CT

This is cat-themed bingo featuring cute kitty designs and fun prizes.

This is cat-themed bingo featuring cute kitty designs and fun prizes. Whether you’re a cat lover, bingo enthusiast, or just looking for a sweet way to spend your evening, this event is sure to be a paws-itively good time. Spots are limited, so register today!

Location: Best Friends Pet Resource Center

1312 Melissa Dr
Bentonville, AR 72712
United States

Register Today
Oct 30 Friday
My Boo: DINK Halloween Social *
4:00pm–6:00pm CT

Grab your boo and join us for My Boo: Halloween DINK Social, a spooky-fun evening for Double Income, No Kids couples!

Grab your boo and join us for My Boo: Halloween DINK Social, a spooky-fun evening for Double Income, No Kids couples! Enjoy festive activities, drinks, treats, and plenty of opportunities to mingle, meet other couples, and celebrate the season together—all while supporting animal welfare at Best Friends.

Location: Best Friends Pet Resource Center

1312 Melissa Dr
Bentonville, AR 72712
United States

Register Today
Nov 1 Sunday
Amigos del Alma: A Day of the Dead Celebration
4:00pm–6:30pm CT

Join us at the Best Friends Pet Resource Center for Amigos del Alma: A Day of the Dead Celebration to honor the special pets who have touched our lives through art, remembrance, and community.

Join us at the Best Friends Pet Resource Center for Amigos del Alma: A Day of the Dead Celebration to honor the special pets who have touched our lives through art, remembrance, and community.

Enjoy Día de los Muertos–themed arts and crafts, settle in for a screening of Coco, and visit our community pet ofrenda honoring beloved animal companions who are no longer with us. And while you're here, meet our adoptable pets and learn about our resources.

Bring your family and friends for an afternoon of creativity, connection, and remembrance as we celebrate the everlasting bond between people and their pets.

Learn more!
Nov 14 Saturday
NW Arkansas Super Adoption
10:00am–5:00pm CT

Mark your calendars for Best Friends' third annual Super Adoption in NW Arkansas!

Mark your calendars for Best Friends' third annual Super Adoption in NW Arkansas!  Join us for a full day of fun and fur, including hundreds of adoptable dogs and cats from area shelters, a local vendor market, food trucks, prizes, and more!  

This family-friendly event is a wonderful way for you to meet adorable pets who are waiting in shelters, hoping to find homes just like yours. Drop by, meet some pets, and maybe go home with your new best friend! 

Location: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Campus Plaza
Learn more
Nov 14 Saturday
Super Adoption *
10:00am–5:00pm CT

The biggest pet adoption event of the year is just around the corner!

The biggest pet adoption event of the year is just around the corner! Best Friends' Super Adoption will showcase hundreds of adoptable dogs and cats from rescues and shelters all across the region. This year's Super Adoption, scheduled for Saturday, November 14, from 10 am to 5 pm, is a single-day extravaganza of lifesaving. It will take place at the Campus Plaza on the beautiful grounds of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and will feature local vendors, prizes, food, music, and of course, lots of adorable, adoptable pets who are looking for homes just like yours. Last year's Super Adoption helped more than 230 pets find homes, including every cat at the event. Let us know you're planning to attend, and we'll send you reminders before the event so you don't miss out on any of the fun. Plus, we’ll keep you in the loop with heartwarming rescue stories, fun events, and other ways to get involved.
Location: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Campus Plaza, 1005 Museum Way, Bentonville
I Want to Attend

Peek inside the Best Friends Pet Resource Center

The space features open areas perfect for getting to know adoptable dogs and cats, fun activities for humans of all ages, a DIY dog-bathing center, a café where guests can hang out with cats and kittens, a pet food and supplies pantry, and much more.

Community members of all ages can participate in fun activities and educational experiences with and without pets. Photo credit: tbmerritt
Community members of all ages can participate in fun activities and educational experiences with and without pets. Photo credit: tbmerritt
The Best Friends Pet Resource Center represents the future of animal sheltering in the USA, right here in Northwest Arkansas. Photo credit: tbmerritt
The Best Friends Pet Resource Center represents the future of animal sheltering in the USA, right here in Northwest Arkansas. Photo credit: tbmerritt
At 20,000 square feet, the Best Friends Pet Resource Center is the largest animal welfare facility in the region, serving an estimated 13,000 cats and dogs each year. Photo credit: tbmerritt
At 20,000 square feet, the Best Friends Pet Resource Center is the largest animal welfare facility in the region, serving an estimated 13,000 cats and dogs each year. Photo credit: tbmerritt
The Best Friends Pet Resource Center is meticulously outfitted with fun condos, climbing trees, and other enrichment activities for cats and kittens while waiting for loving homes. Photo credit: tbmerritt
The Best Friends Pet Resource Center is meticulously outfitted with fun condos, climbing trees, and other enrichment activities for cats and kittens while waiting for loving homes. Photo credit: tbmerritt
This cozy nook near the Bella Giorgi Cat Enrichment Center is a great spot to hang out and learn about the history of Best Friends Animal Society. Photo credit: tbmerritt
This cozy nook near the Bella Giorgi Cat Enrichment Center is a great spot to hang out and learn about the history of Best Friends Animal Society. Photo credit: tbmerritt
The sculptures at the Best Friends Pet Resource Center in Northwest Arkansas pay tribute to the beloved pets of our capital campaign donors. Photo credit: tbmerritt
The sculptures at the Best Friends Pet Resource Center in Northwest Arkansas pay tribute to the beloved pets of our capital campaign donors. Photo credit: tbmerritt
The Best Friends Pet Resource Center was designed by the Los Angeles-based architecture firm, RA-DA. Photo credit: tbmerritt
The Best Friends Pet Resource Center was designed by the Los Angeles-based architecture firm, RA-DA. Photo credit: tbmerritt
The flip screen provides a fun, retro way to learn about Best Friends and the road to no-kill 2025. Here you'll find images and information about adoptable animals, upcoming events and ways to get involved in our lifesaving work. Photo credit: tbmerritt
The flip screen provides a fun, retro way to learn about Best Friends and the road to no-kill 2025. Here you'll find images and information about adoptable animals, upcoming events and ways to get involved in our lifesaving work. Photo credit: tbmerritt
Community members of all ages can participate in fun activities and educational experiences with and without pets. Photo credit: tbmerritt
Community members of all ages can participate in fun activities and educational experiences with and without pets. Photo credit: tbmerritt
The Best Friends Pet Resource Center represents the future of animal sheltering in the USA, right here in Northwest Arkansas. Photo credit: tbmerritt
The Best Friends Pet Resource Center represents the future of animal sheltering in the USA, right here in Northwest Arkansas. Photo credit: tbmerritt
At 20,000 square feet, the Best Friends Pet Resource Center is the largest animal welfare facility in the region, serving an estimated 13,000 cats and dogs each year. Photo credit: tbmerritt
At 20,000 square feet, the Best Friends Pet Resource Center is the largest animal welfare facility in the region, serving an estimated 13,000 cats and dogs each year. Photo credit: tbmerritt
The Best Friends Pet Resource Center is meticulously outfitted with fun condos, climbing trees, and other enrichment activities for cats and kittens while waiting for loving homes. Photo credit: tbmerritt
The Best Friends Pet Resource Center is meticulously outfitted with fun condos, climbing trees, and other enrichment activities for cats and kittens while waiting for loving homes. Photo credit: tbmerritt
This cozy nook near the Bella Giorgi Cat Enrichment Center is a great spot to hang out and learn about the history of Best Friends Animal Society. Photo credit: tbmerritt
This cozy nook near the Bella Giorgi Cat Enrichment Center is a great spot to hang out and learn about the history of Best Friends Animal Society. Photo credit: tbmerritt
The sculptures at the Best Friends Pet Resource Center in Northwest Arkansas pay tribute to the beloved pets of our capital campaign donors. Photo credit: tbmerritt
The sculptures at the Best Friends Pet Resource Center in Northwest Arkansas pay tribute to the beloved pets of our capital campaign donors. Photo credit: tbmerritt
The Best Friends Pet Resource Center was designed by the Los Angeles-based architecture firm, RA-DA. Photo credit: tbmerritt
The Best Friends Pet Resource Center was designed by the Los Angeles-based architecture firm, RA-DA. Photo credit: tbmerritt
The flip screen provides a fun, retro way to learn about Best Friends and the road to no-kill 2025. Here you'll find images and information about adoptable animals, upcoming events and ways to get involved in our lifesaving work. Photo credit: tbmerritt
The flip screen provides a fun, retro way to learn about Best Friends and the road to no-kill 2025. Here you'll find images and information about adoptable animals, upcoming events and ways to get involved in our lifesaving work. Photo credit: tbmerritt
Silhouette of two dogs, cat and kitten

Sheltering without kennels: The model of the future

There are no long-term kennels or cages at the pet resource center, just one of the ways we’re redefining what it means to care for homeless dogs and cats.

While the cats in Best Friends' care reside at the center in our two free-roaming cat enrichment rooms, the dogs we take in from area shelters are placed in foster homes in our community. This eliminates the need to house dogs in kennels or cages for extended periods of time. Every day, a selection of adoptable dogs visit the center where they can meet potential adopters and find a family of their very own. 

Shelters can be noisy, frightening places, causing some dogs to become fearful and stressed. But a loving foster home allows them to relax and learn to trust — and that leads to happier, healthier dogs who get adopted more quickly.

Foster an Animal in Need

Bright skies for homeless pets, thanks to caring donors

Contributors to our pet resource center aren’t simply animal lovers or donors — they’re life changers and history makers.

We offer our most profound gratitude to every individual, foundation and company for your gift to the center and for your shared vision that together, we can Save Them All.

See our list of donors
Community Giving Tree in Northwest Arkansas

Our community giving tree

Created by a local artist, the 6-foot-tall tree features a shimmering canopy of inscribed pet tags as its leaves — each one a symbol of generosity, compassion and kindness to the animals.

After making your gift, you’ll be prompted to add your name, your family’s name, your pet’s name or the name of your organization to your tag. 

Every time the tree’s tags sway in the breeze, visitors will be reminded of your extraordinary dedication to the animals of this community and to homeless pets around the country.

Add Your Recognition Leaf

Be part of the future of animal sheltering

Check out all the ways to get involved and help save the lives of homeless pets in Northwest Arkansas.

Two smiling people sitting in a yard with a happy dog

Adopt a pet

When you adopt a homeless dog or cat from a shelter or rescue group in Northwest Arkansas, you’re making a lifesaving difference for a loving and grateful animal.
Adopt a Pet
Person playing with a tiny kitten in a home

Foster a pet

Welcoming a pet into your home for a short time not only benefits that animal, it helps make room in shelters for more cats and dogs in need.
Foster a Pet
Smiling person hugging a dog outside

Volunteer to help save pets

From socializing shy cats to walking dogs to driving pets to and from our clinic, there are so many fun ways to make a lifesaving difference.
Become a Volunteer

Visit us! 

Location and parking 

Best Friends Pet Resource Center in NW Arkansas
1312 Melissa Dr    
Bentonville, AR 72712

The pet resource center is in the heart of the Bentonville greenspace that will become the 8th Street Gateway Park. Parking is available at the center.  

Pet resource center hours    
11 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week

Phone
(479) 974-1363

 

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