About AARC

Our History

Founded by a small group of volunteers in 1962 and incorporated one year later, we were known as the Macon County Humane Society. At the time, rural western North Carolina was besieged by free-roaming dogs and cats. No facility existed in Macon county to house homeless pets. Five individuals came together to solve the problem. In the beginning, we sheltered animals in our own homes. Our local veterinarian, Dr. Fisher, provided vaccinations and spay/neuter surgery. We then sought to re-home these animals permanently. Six years later, in 1968, our first shelter was built on four acres of donated land. In 2014, to avoid being confused with the new county animal control facility (Macon County Animal Services), we began doing business as Appalachian Animal Rescue Center, a no-kill humane society. The AARC Thrift Store, located at 1521 Old Murphy Road, in Franklin, opened in 2007. Our thrift store is a thriving, dynamic operation staffed by employees and volunteers that serves to meet the financial needs of our shelter.

Our shelter, located at 851 Lake Emory Road in Franklin, houses some 80-100 dogs and cats. Animal Care Technicians provide for our animals 365 days a year. We offer low-cost spaying and neutering, vaccines, and microchip implantation through Humane Alliance, and ASPCA clinic in Asheville. We take in animals from the public, as well as animals from the county shelter, and place them in permanent homes. Our transport program, meanwhile, gives cats and dogs a second chance in areas of the country where available pets are scarce.