by Stacy Pettit
As you walk through the aisles at the Tulsa Animal Welfare shelter, you are sure to find dozens of eager and loving eyes watching from inside the cages. The sad reality is these dogs and cats housed in the cages will most likely never live to see a real home again outside the shelter. In fact, only about 35 percent of the animals in the shelter are reclaimed by owners, rescued by no-kill organizations or adopted. The rest, eager and ready for a family, will know those cages to be their last homes.
Not having a family or loved one to go home to should not be a death sentence, but with pet overpopulation a major issue in the state, a number of homeless dogs and cats are euthanized to make room for more unwanted animals.
To eliminate the problem of pet overpopulation in the state, Spay Oklahoma is partnering with the Oklahoma Animal Alliance for the “It’s Hip to Snip” campaign. For this month-long campaign, the organizations hope to raise awareness about the role spaying and neutering has on alleviating the pet overpopulation problem. Throughout the month of February, Spay Oklahoma will provide spay and neuter surgeries to qualified low-income families at a reduced cost. And to help reduce the cost of these surgeries, the OAA is providing more than $15,000 in spay/neuter surgery subsidies to ensure cost is not a barrier to low income pet owners.
The campaign, now in its eighth year, has been a success in the past. Last year alone, the campaign resulted in more than 1,500 animals being sterilized in February. But the two groups have set a higher goal this year with hopes of carrying out 1,650 surgeries in February.
Even if your pet has already been snipped, you can still get involved by making a donation to the “Chip In for Snippin’” fund in Tulsa at Pooches, Dog Dish, Camp Bow Wow, Tailwaggers Pet Supply, and Noah’s Bed & Biscuit in Kiefer.
If you would like to learn more about the reduced cost of surgeries and qualification criteria, call Spay Oklahoma at 918-728-3144 for the North Tulsa Clinic, 918-970-4222 for the Bixby Clinic, or visit www.spayok.org. To learn more about the “It’s Hip to Snip” campaign, visit www.animalallianceok.org or call 918-742-3700.
13 Pamper Fido for a day and head to one of the many dog spas around town. Have them throw in a dog massage, so Spot will trot out of there with some extra pep in his step.
