Bark B Q – AZ BBQ Company & Follow Your Heart Animal Rescue

What: Bark-B-Q
When: Saturday September 29th at 8pm (drawing)
Where: Az BBQ Company
Why: Follow Your Heart Animal Rescue

Arizona BBQ Company and Follow Your Heart Animal Rescue (FYH) are teaming up September 29th to hold a Bark-B-Q to help aid abandoned, abused and injured dogs in the East Valley. Restaurant owners, Mark and Colette Nichols and General Manager, Tim Mace wanted to give back to the community on their one-year anniversary of their Gilbert, AZ location. Since the Nichols adopted Duke and Odessa from the rescue, they decided a special fundraiser and dog adoptions would raise awareness and financial support for Follow Your Heart Animal Rescue.

Some of the prizes available are: A digital smoker, a golf package, a spa package, a Vanderpump Pets package, and a family fun package. You can purchase tickets at Follow Your Heart Animal Rescue, located in the Superstition Springs Mall, every Saturday or at Arizona BBQ Company during the month of September. Drawings with be held on Saturday, September 29th at 8:00pm. Winners do not need to be present.

What makes Follow Your Heart Animal Rescue (FYH) so unique? FYH’s Adoption Center is a warm, welcoming and comfortable boutique style rescue in Superstition Springs Mall. The Center is run by five young ladies who volunteered and fostered for FYH for many years before they earned those positions. Most of them are furthering their education to become veterinary technicians. Follow Your Heart Animal rescue has a board comprised of nine women who have been together collectively five years. On the board are teachers, a security officer, a human resource manager and a trauma room nurse. These members work full time along with donating their time to the rescue. Four of the board members work at the Center regularly where they oversee the day to day actives of rescue. None of the board members are paid.

Follow Your Heart Rescue is the largest foster-based rescue. They have 150-200 dogs in at any given time and all, but a few dogs are in foster homes; meaning loving families keep them in their homes until adopted. They are not a kennel or shelter facility. In 2017, the rescue saved and treated over 2,000 dogs and cats. Many of these animals came from county shelters, hoarding situations, owner surrenders (someone who can no longer care for the animal due to changing circumstances), and dogs found roaming the desert. The focus of the rescue is saving pregnant or mom dogs with babies from the shelters or injured animals who may otherwise not have a chance for adoption.

In February FYH opened a non-profit animal hospital in Mesa, AZ to help treat more animals in need and provide quality care for a reasonable cost. They offer a 15% discount at the hospital for animals that have been adopted from Follow Your Heart Animal Rescue for the life of the dog. They are hoping to add another vet at the hospital to keep up with patient demands.

Find out more about this event and the rescue at azbbqcompany.com (1534 E. Ray Rd. #110, Gilbert, AZ 85295) or call 480-361-4180. Or at Follow Your Heart Animal Rescue on Facebook or call 480-807-0085.