Desiree Bender
Arkansas State Director
501.499.2248
dbender@humanesociety.org
Desiree Bender is the Arkansas state director for The Humane Society of the United States. She works on behalf of animals by heightening governmental awareness of animal welfare issues and promoting collaborative efforts that strengthen the laws to protect animals.
Her most notable accomplishments encompass pushing for enforcement of current Arkansas laws to protect animals and facilitating the prosecution of animal cruelty cases. She has accomplished this by working closely with and training law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and judges on animal cruelty and animal fighting investigations.
Before joining The HSUS in 2007, Bender focused on issues surrounding the welfare of pit bulls. She is nationally known for her work in developing pit bull specific adoption, spay/neuter and outreach/education programs. She has testified as an expert witness in cases involving American Pit Bull Terriers and participated in various municipal committees charged with drafting breed specific and dangerous dog ordinances. She is a frequent guest speaker at local and national animal welfare conferences and continues to consult on sheltering pit bulls.
In 1997, she founded Where Angels Run, a welfare organization to advocate for pit bulls through rescue, education, and adoption, realizing that the plight of pit bulls was often rationalized. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Bender and her husband donated a rental house to function as a small shelter for pit bulls. This shelter is now the home of her HSUS office and six to eight bulls rescued from various cruelty situations who are up for adoption.
Bender earned her bachelor’s degree from University of Central Arkansas in 1995. She lives with her husband and four dogs.
