In 2012, Kristen Johnson’s Pomeranian, Blink, died and was buried in Johnson’s mom’s backyard in Benton. About a year ago, her mom — Karla Shepard — had the yard expanded, and one of the first things Kristen asked when she was told about the renovation was, “What did you do with Blink?”
“I left him right in the middle of the yard,” Shepard said. “When I had the backyard done into a garden, I said to the guy, to the landscaper, he is staying right there in the middle of the backyard.
“Now Blink has a water feature and a light on him.”
Shepard said that’s just the kind of person Johnson was, though, “always putting animals first.”
On Sept. 24, in correlation with the Little Rock Animal Village’s nine-year anniversary celebration, Johnson and her family were honored in Little Rock after $10,000 was donated to the shelter in her name.
“Kristen always loved animals,” Shepard said. “She had a huge heart, but she especially loved animals.
“After her accident, a friend of hers called me and suggested we set up something for the shelter, and I said, ‘That’s a wonderful idea. That’s the best way to honor her.’”
Johnson drowned in a canoeing accident on June 12 of this year. She was 25.
Friends of the Animal Village, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing support to the shelter, also gifted a plaque to the family in memory of Johnson. The Paws for a Cause fund will help animals in need and will help provide lifesaving medical treatment to animals.
“We used social media to get the word out,” Shepard said. “We had a picture of her and Blink, and her friends shared it, and it just really took off.
“It exploded and was bigger than anyone anticipated.”
Shepard said money started coming in even before Johnson’s memorial service.
“It was just coming in quickly,” Shepard said.
And still does. Kayce Johnson, Kristen’s older sister, owns a yoga studio in Little Rock, and her mom said she continues to receive donations for the animal village from her clients.
“It is still happening,” Shepard said. “People are still wanting to give.”
To donate to the Little Rock Animal Village, visit www.friendsoftheanimalvillage.org, and click the Donate tab and the Kristen Noelle Johnson Paws for a Cause subhead.
“That money will be saved for medical expenses for animals that come in to the Little Rock Animal Village,” said Betsy Robb, Friends of the Animal Village board president. “That includes spaying or neutering, skin issues, medical baths and ear-mite treatments or anything like that. …
“We spend quite a bit of money getting an animal ready for adoption.”
The Little Rock Animal Village, which houses the Little Rock Animal Services, sees more than 4,000 animals in a year, including dogs and cats, but also pigs, chickens, gerbils and ferrets. Robb said the donation made last week just proves how much people loved Johnson.
“I didn’t know her personally,” Robb said, “but after all the donations and the wonderful things that were said, I wish I had known her.
“She seemed like a loving, warm person.”
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.