Chris, a lab/husky mix is a former bait dog who is looking for a fur-ever home.

Stanley’s Famous Pit Barbecue may be known for its amazing menu and for having the ‘worst parking in Tyler,’ but it’s also known for its soft spot for giving back. Friday morning, Stanley’s gave back to one of its favorite causes — animal welfare — by partnering up with Nicholas Pet Haven for an adoption event.

“They are an organization that we love dearly,” said Nora Schreiber, community outreach director for Stanley’s. “We’re all big animal lovers here and our owners actually have had a lot of adoptions through them.”

Nicholas Pet Haven is a nonprofit organization that has been dedicated to saving the lives of unwanted animals of East Texas since October 2013. Like many animal rescues and shelters, they are at capacity so they host adoption events to introduce them to potential adopters.

“We have so many animals at our facility,” said Cindy Nash, founder of Nicholas Pet Haven. “We have over 100 that we have to feed and take care of, so this is huge for us.”

Many of the employees at Stanley’s have also made efforts to volunteer at Nicholas Pet Haven.

“Part of my job… is not just organizing events like this but we also offer opportunities for employees to get paid days to go volunteer,” Schreiber said. “And Nicholas Pet Haven is one of our favorite spots to go and do that.”

Friday’s joint efforts wasn’t just about getting the available pups for adoption. Nicholas Pet Haven was Stanley’s round-up recipient for the month of December.

Stanley’s Round-Up For Charity program allows a customer the option to round up their final purchase amount to the nearest whole number or a specific denomination. For example, if their total bill amounts to $19.50, the purchase can be rounded up to $20, with the additional 50 cents donated to a charitable cause.

All the donations made at Stanley’s in December were matched, according to Nash.

“They have been taking up donations for us all month long. Stanley’s is real big in helping the community… and we absolutely love them. They have great food and great people. They’re absolutely the sweetest people,” Nash said.

Nicholas Pet Haven recently partnered with another rescue organization outside of Texas that will take in their animals every two weeks and get them ready for adoption.

“We’re going to be taking pre-adopted animals to our new partners up north, which will be such a huge help for us here in Tyler,” Nash said. “We are raising money for a new transport van. We’ve almost reached our goal and we’re going to use whatever’s raised from Stanley’s for that.”

Nicholas Pet Haven still needs help with saving unwanted animals in East Texas.

“We need fosters, even if it’s short term for two weeks where we can rotate everyone out just until we get them out of Texas,” Nash said.

In addition to needing more fosters, they’re also seeking monetary donations to help feed the animals, as well as medical care and operational costs.

“We have bills to pay like everybody else… and we’re trying our best here but… Texas is behind the times,” Nash said. “Right now, there are no laws enforcing owners to spay or neuter their animals in the state of Texas… and we need people in office who care.”

According to Nash, their organization gets anywhere from 10 to 15 calls a day about dumped strays.

“It’s ridiculous,” she said. “Moms and babies just dumped and left to fend for themselves. And this happens all the time… we’re trying to keep up.”

But the new collaboration will hopefully ease some of the burden.

“It will be huge for the community because we’ll be able to help, not only ourselves but Smith County Animal Control and Tyler Animal Control and send babies up north to good homes,” Nash said. “Doing events like this help a lot… Stanley’s and all the people that work here are amazing. We are so appreciative for all they have done for us and the unwanted animals of East Texas.”

If you are interested in volunteering, fostering, adopting or making a donation to Nicholas Pet Haven, visit their Facebook page or their website, www.nicholaspethaven.org.