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Fighting the Good Fight |
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The dog, it's said, is man's best friend. Best Friends of the Oklahoma City Animal Welfare Division may be dog's (and cat's and other creature's) best friend. And these animals need all the friends they can get. When they reach the city's animal shelter, they've hit the end of the line. But this non-profit volunteer group pulls many back from the brink, while educating the public in an attempt to keep animals from getting to this point. Best Friends has been fighting the good fight since 1994 when it was started by current president Kim Schlittler. She thought up the name, which stems from "man's best friend." As she puts it, "I wanted this group to return the favor and be a best friend to the thousands of lost, abandoned and unwanted pets that enter the shelter each year as well as the division. Since the division consists of the shelter and animal control, I wanted the name to be all encompassing." The group supports the division through volunteerism, fundraising and education. It provides funds for animal care, foster care for puppies and kittens, a shelter animal walking program and pet education to school children, teaching them responsible pet ownership. "We also provide many wish list items for the shelter and animal control, which helps the pets and eases the employees' workload," says Schlittler. The primary goal is to increase the number of pets adopted. And it's working. Vicki Allen, who's also the foster care coordinator, notes there was a 23 percent increase last year with 3,360 adoptions. "That sounds great," she says, "until you realize how enormous the problem is. On a good day, we may have 30 adopted, but 100 come in to take their place. Last year, 28,000 came in, only 200 with tags." That includes not only the usual lineup of dogs and cats, but livestock and animals ranging from rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters to the exotic. "They have to take care of all the animals brought in," says Allen. "People may think of the shelter as a bad place where animals are euthanized, but there's such a huge overpopulation. What's to be done with all of them? These aren't bad people. They provide a service, and they're doing the best they can with a limited staff. We need to change the public's awareness." One thing the public needs to be aware of is how the shelter operates, especially on the adoption end. Animals enter the shelter in several ways: the majority as strays, either picked up by control officers (who also investigate reports of cruelty, abuse and neglect) or brought in by caring citizens. Many are surrendered by owners for a variety of reasons. For the few that are tagged, every effort is made to contact the owner. Tagged pets receive special privileges, usually housed in individual pens rather than the community pens. Plus, they're held for more viewing days than the others. After viewing days, the sad task of deciding which ones to select as potential adoption candidates falls to laboratory technicians. Not that it's sad for the ones chosen, but for the thousands that don't make the cut. The techs look over the animals, searching for those that appear healthy, of good temperament and that might be appealing to adopters. The lucky ones are given health examinations. If the results are acceptable, they're vaccinated and spayed or neutered. So, the adopter is assured of getting a sound animal. And when you come to the shelter for this purpose, you're seeing only the adoptees, which are held in a separate area. One little known fact: when an animal is placed in adoption, in most cases, it remains there until adopted, regardless of the length of time. Adoption pets are socialized by the staff and Best Friends volunteers. Adoption fees are $57 for dogs, $50 for cats. If the pet enters the shelter already spayed or neutered, the fees are $32 and $25. People over age 60 can adopt any pet for only $27. In her role, Allen knows the size of the challenge and stresses the need for education. "If the public doesn't take responsibility, the problem continues." But she finds satisfaction in her work. "It's amazing how you can change a scared dog into one that's responsive with just a little time and affection." And she doesn't mind putting in a plug for two things that are always critical needs: money and people. Donations are always welcomed. It costs to become a member of Best Friends, but the fee is nominal, and you can chose your level, from $2 to $500. The ways in which volunteers can help are too numerous to include here. But call them, and they'll be glad to tell you. Back to OKC Animal Welfare |
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