Hawk Tuah Girl makes visit at animal shelter in metro Phoenix. Here's why

Hawk Tuah Girl , who found viral video fame in June , has a new message for you: adopt or volunteer to help dogs in Arizona.

The internet celebrity visited Maricopa County Animal Care and Control when she was in Arizona with her nonprofit Hailey Welch's Paws Across America.

Hawk Tuah Girl, also known as Hailey Welch of Belfast, Tennessee, went viral on the Tim & Dee TV YouTube channel, which posts person-on-the-street interviews. They ran into Welch on Broadway in downtown Nashville and asked her a series of questions, including "What's one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?"

Welch's southern accent rang out as she excitedly said, "You gotta give 'em that 'hawk tuah' and spit on that thang."

Welch has quit her day job at a spring factory in Tennessee, created merch and begun making appearances including one at country music star Zach Bryan's Nashville concert and throwing the ceremonial first pitch for the New York Mets. She also appeared at a Labor Day pool party in Scottsdale.

Welch is now represented by The Penthouse agency and her new Instagram and TikTok accounts amassed over 100,000 followers within 24 hours.

Animal shelters: Corelle and more pets up for adoption in metro Phoenix this week

Hawk Tuah Girl visits Arizona animal shelter

The video, which was shared on social media on Thursday , shows Welch, clad in a Wild West shirt with a cow skull on it, interacting with the animals at the shelter while discussing the facilities' needs with Desert Dog Project, partners of the shelter.

The animal shelter representative discussed how the facility is over capacity, leading to each dog receiving less care and attention than they need. She added that the shelter needs volunteers and people to adopt the dogs.

"I hope it spreads the word because honestly Hailey it is devastating," the representative from Desert Dog Project said. "We have a serious crisis here in Arizona."

Welch visited a Maricopa County shelter in Mesa to show her support for the organization, which finds homes for about 900 animals each month, according to Kim Powell, spokesperson for Maricopa County Animal Care and Control.

"We are grateful (Desert Dog Project) they could show Welch around and talk about our wonderful dogs who are waiting for their forever homes," said Powell.

Powell acknowledged Welch's unique fame as a way to spread the word about Phoenix-area pets in need.

"People like Welch and our volunteers bring much-needed attention to the need for animal adoption," Powell added.

Maricopa County sees nearly 2,000 new pets in August

In August, 1,544 new pets entered the shelter's care, most finding new homes, while others were transferred to a partner organization or reunited with a lost home.

Data shows that 263 animals that entered the shelters in August were still looking for homes.

Overcrowding remained a problem for Phoenix metro shelters, especially after busy summer months.

In 2021, the shelter had an average inventory of 503 animals per day compared with the 2024 average daily inventory of 790 animals , according to Powell.

Arizona Republic reporter Meredith G. White contributed to this .