An animal shelter is a facility that houses homeless, lost or abandoned animals; primarily a large variety of dogs and cats. The animal is kept at the shelter until it is either reclaimed by an owner, adopted to a new owner or placed with another organization. In the past, they were more commonly referred to as "dog pounds", a term which had its origins in the pounds of agricultural communities, where stray cattle would be penned up until claimed by their owners.
A rescue group or rescue organization is dedicated to pet adoption. These groups take unwanted, abandoned, abused, or stray pets and attempt to find suitable new homes for them. Many rescue groups are created by and run by volunteers, who take the animals into their homes and care for them—including training, playing, handling medical issues, and solving behavior problems—until a suitable permanent home can be found.
Rescue groups exist for most types of pet—for example, rabbit rescue or bird rescue, but are most common for dogs and cats.
Arkansas Animal Rescue Foundation
Central Arkansas Rescue Effort
Columbia County Animal Protection Society
Fairfield Bay Animal Protection League
Humane Society of Clark County
Humane Society of Eastern Arkansas
Humane Society of Faulkner County
Humane Society of Independence County
Humane Society of Marion County
Humane Society of Northeast Arkansas
Humane Society of Pulaski County
Humane Society of Saline County
Maumelle Friends of the Animals
Paragould Animal Welfare Society PAWS
Riddle's Elephant and Wildlife Sanctuary
Sebastian County Humane Society
The Delta region is bisected by an unusual geological formation known as Crowley's Ridge. A narrow band of rolling hills, Crowley's Ridge rises from 250 to 500 feet (150 m) above the surrounding alluvial plain and underlies many of the major towns of eastern Arkansas.
Northwest Arkansas is part of the Ozark Plateau including the Boston Mountains, to the south are the Ouachita Mountains and these regions are divided by the Arkansas River; the southern and eastern parts of Arkansas are called the Lowlands. All of these mountains ranges are part of the U.S. Interior Highlands region, the only major mountainous region between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains. The highest point in the state is Mount Magazine in the Ozark Mountains; it rises to 2,753 feet (839 m) above sea level.
Arkansas is home to many caves, such as Blanchard Springs Caverns. It is also the first U.S. state in which diamonds were found (near Murfreesboro). Arkansas has the only operating diamond mine in the United States.