TulsaPets Magazine Online

Nancy, Spamela, Sherri & Marilyn

Story by Marilyn King

Bonejour, Tulsa pet lovers, and welcome to my summer issue. Though the dog days of summer are fast upon us, spirits in our local pet world are higher, with serious talk on the street of a dog park, an increased focus on the Tulsa animal shelter, and overall more attention on local pet issues. I especially wish to mention a heartfelt thank you to Mayor Kathy Taylor for her positive and active role to better the future of our homeless Tulsa pets.  

I finally had the pleasure of meeting Spamela Anderson as featured in my last issue.  I was joined by Sherri Goodall, author of the Spamela article, and Spamela’s “Mom” Nancy Werhane, who was gracious enough to let us come meet the famous pink babe in the flesh. When we arrived “Spammy” was asleep in a small shed (Nancy said she does like her beauty sleep), but as we walked through the pasture Nancy shook a bucket of piggy treats and we yelled her name, and pretty soon here she came, all 500 pounds of her.  She’s quite a gal – very well-behaved, and really very cute. One thing I immediately noticed was her “hair.”  It was like a brillo pad, stiff as a steel brush.  Nancy says that it grows in for the winter, and in the spring she sheds it and returns to her regular pink skin.   Another pig tidbit I didn’t know was that if she’s feeling good, and she likes you, her tail is curly. If she doesn’t feel well, or if she doesn’t like you, her tail is flat!   Fortunately, during our visit her piggy tail remained curled tight.

I must say I’ve never been quite so moved as when I met Riley, as featured on page 34, and to witness the care that Tiffany Talley, Riley’s Mom, gives him. It’s a very time-consuming procedure to equip Riley in his wheels and supervise him. Add to that the significant amount of time spent on his extensive therapies and the expense for his care.  Most people would just throw in the towel and have Riley put down, but not Tiffany. Her spirit is incredible and it’s truly gratifying to see them together.  In my book, she is voted paws down one of the World’s Best Dog Moms, and she deserves a big medal in the Dalmatian wing of doggie heaven!

I visited the Tulsa Animal Welfare Shelter on May 31 for my Shelter Report page, and was so encouraged to see it crowded with families walking the aisles looking for a new best friend, and with dogs actually being adopted and going out the front door!  It was a wonderful sight to see and I left uplifted rather than totally depressed crying all the way home as times before.   

Please remember to encourage adoption from local rescue groups and shelters, and sing the words Spay & Neuter far and wide. We’re all in this together, and together I do believe we can make a better world at least for our local pets. Thank you to all, and bless all of our pets, past, present, and future.  

Story by Marilyn King

Dear Tulsa Pet Lovers,
Welcome to the soon-to-be-dog days of Oklahoma summer in August, and to my third issue of TulsaPets Magazine.   We do hope you enjoy it and that you spread the word to your friends and family.

First of all, I want to say hats off to our pet-loving Mayor Kathy Taylor.  Mayor Taylor’s outspoken concern for the welfare of all our Tulsa pets, especially the homeless ones, is a sign of better things to come for our animals, and the Tulsa pet community lauds you for your support in encouraging adoption and the importance of spaying and neutering.   Thank you Mayor Taylor!

I got a call from a breeder the other day wanting to advertise.   This wasn’t a puppy-mill breeder, but a local, reputable breeder who breeds high-quality pure bred dogs once a year.   I told her I couldn’t accept her advertising, nor could I list her in the directory, as it’s against my magazine’s missions of rescue/adopt and spay/neuter .   I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with pure-bred dogs (in fact, I’m pretty sure my rescued Sam here is a pure chocolate lab).  My point to her was that when there are no more pure breeds or Heinz 57 mixes at our shelters waiting for homes, then I’ll consider dogs-for-sale advertising (maybe).

After reading the enclosed article on shelter statistics in Oklahoma, I believe it will be some time before statewide conditions improve for the lives of our homeless pets.   I do think, however, that Tulsa has the capability to greatly improve the lives of OUR homeless pets, and work towards being a no-kill community, just because of the sheer number of pet lovers that are here.   The answer is simple.  It starts with responsible pet ownership education for children, adopting from one of our shelters or local rescue groups, and spaying and neutering.  If we can all unite and spread those words, then perhaps a difference can be made.

After all, as was quoted by Mohandas Gandhi (and of course “nation” can easily be changed to “city”):  “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

Hope you have a super summer, and stay tuned for our October issue!

Sincerely,

Marilyn & Sam

PS  I would be remiss in not again thanking all those who have helped me in this endeavor.    My advertisers, Langdon Publishing, contributing writers, and Shelter Report sponsors all deserve a big applause.   Thank you!   And thanks to all the Tulsa pet lovers who have been enjoying the magazine.