The Northwest Arkansas Humane Society for Animals relies on many excellent staff members and volunteers. All work under the direction of our director, Clay Morgan.
Clay Morgan has a long history of caring for animals in Northwest Arkansas. In 1988, after discovering that the local humane society was euthanizing their outside dogs at the end of October to keep from having to care for them through the winter months, Clay Morgan and Barbara Phillips decided to do something about it.
They joined the board of directors, and started the process of moving the outside dogs into vet clinics, getting them spayed and neutered, and finding permanent homes for them. Barbara eventually became president of the board, and appointed Clay as the new executive director in 1992. Clay has continued as director to the present day.
Clay and Barbara had big dreams for the shelter. Clay immediately began establishing relationships with all of Northwest Arkansas to ensure the future of the shelter. His first project was to build a new, modern, heated and airconditioned shelter, replacing the old facility that was barely adequate for the needs of the animals. The new facility was completed and opened November 1, 2020, during the height of the Covid shut down. During the Covid years Clay worked with Simmons Food to donate pallets of dog food and conducted two big dog food give away events at the new facility to help people feed their pets.
A year later he began plans to remodel the old facility into a transport hub which would move animals out of overcrowded shelters in the area into approved rescues and fosters in states who have mandatory spay and neuter laws. Many of them go directly into approved permanent homes. The transport hub opened October 2024.
Clay continues to work tirelessly seven days a week to care for all the animals being brought in by the Benton County Sheriff’s department, and he has an extraordinary ability to match people with the perfect animal for their family. His next project is to open a new free spay and neuter clinic with Spay Arkansas to help reduce the number of animals being brought into shelters. The clinic will be on the shelter grounds and will be opening sometime in the next year.
Our shelter, as well as all of Northwest Arkansas and some other states, is so grateful to have a man so committed to the welfare of animals! Clay is one of a kind!