HART works to provide better lives for animals

Helping Animals Reach Tomorrow is more than words to HART owners Bethany Johnson and Alexa Jeffers. It is a lifestyle and the name of their organization that works closely with the community to provide a better life for animals that have little to no shelter from the elements.

“What we do is we go around and look for chained dogs,” said Johnson. “If we find one we’ll make an offer to the owner to build them a fence so long as they get their dog spayed or neutered. Whenever we get them a fence, we also get them a dog house, food and if they need immediate medical care, we’ll get them the funds for that as well through our donations. Essentially we’re the triage for abused or neglected animals.”

HART has been active in the community for eight years but took a hiatus because of the emotional strain placed on its volunteers and leaders. After some time and consideration the new owners saw a need for something to be done for the animals in their community.

A dog rescued by HART

“When the former owner, Cappy Jeffers, took a break, I convinced her and her daughter, Alexa, to start it back up,” Johnson said. “Cappy didn’t want to be a part of it because of the emotional toll, so that’s when I stepped up and became the co-owner, and we’ve been doing it for about three weeks now.”

Today the owners of HART hope to simply live up to their name and continue helping all animals.

“Our main goal is to try and eliminate animal neglect in cities where animal control isn’t really a thing,” said Johnson. “We go from Monroe [La.] all the way to Hattiesburg and provide a change. Right now our main focus is education because a lot of times many of the people who we’re helping aren’t necessarily bad people. They’re just uneducated owners and having that knowledge makes a huge difference.”

A dog rescued by HART

With the great work that HART does, there is a need for a community-centered support system. The organization stresses that they could not do what they do without the help of much appreciated donations from their donors.

If you’d like to contribute to HART or get involved in their work, contact the organization through its Facebook page.