Tulsa Animal Welfare (TAW), Humane Society of Tulsa (HST) and the Tulsa Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tulsa SPCA) announced the creation of the Coalition for Tulsa Pets, a collaborative effort to develop and execute a community plan to increase the live release rate at Tulsa Animal Welfare and provide comprehensive and sustainable services for the pets. TAW, HST and the Tulsa SPCA provide sheltering, adoption, protection and enforcement, spay/neuter and other veterinarian services, transport, keeping pets in homes, community outreach and education. The group’s logo, the Tulsa flag with a paw, is a reflection of the united effort and commitment towards animals in our community.
This announcement follows an eight-step plan Mayor Bynum recently introduced that would help the City of Tulsa’s Animal Welfare by increasing staffing, extending shelter hours, improving conditions and operational efficiency at the shelter, and updating the city’s animal ordinances and licensing program, among other items.
“The creation of this coalition is a big step for Tulsa as three of the largest animal welfare organizations in our city are coming together to solve a community issue regarding our local pet population,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “We recognize that bringing the experts together will help us better serve the needs in the community and create positive change.”
Currently the live release rate for dogs and cats at TAW is 65%. The 2017 intake number for TAW was 8,819 dogs and cats. The Community Plan strives to reduce intake numbers and bring the rate above 90%. The Coalition set a goal of a 5-10% increase in the annual live release rate.
“I thought that it was time for us to all come together, so I reached out to Jean Letcher at Tulsa Animal Welfare and Mindy Tiner at the Tulsa SPCA,” said Gina Gardner, President of the Humane Society of Tulsa. “We immediately started to build a strategic plan that utilized our combined experience, resources and strengths with a common goal to help Tulsa pets.”
The Coalition commits to positively advance and support the missions of their fellow collaborators, working in unity to minimize negative influences that can detract from the common goal. “This is the first time we have all come together in a cohesive way, acting as one organization to lead to more meaningful results,” said Tulsa SPCA Executive Director Mindy Tiner.
The Coalition has been meeting since August to document needs and goals for the partnership. “We are seeking private funding but hope the community will support our work as well. We expect to begin implementation in 2019,” Tulsa Animal Welfare Director Jean Letcher said.
This plan currently includes five areas of concentration: (1) Public Access to Free/ Low-Cost Spay and Neuter Services; (2) Community Cat Program; (3) Pets for Life Community Diversion and Education Program; (4) Increasing Community Pet Adoptions and (5) Increasing Out of State Transport for Adoptable Pets.
Caring for animals is labor intensive and requires significant funding. One key to the success of the project is finding partners to provide the financial resources to implement the plan. The Coalition is thrilled to announce support in this area from the WaterShed Animal Fund. “Collaboration between key welfare groups and public/private partnership is the proven formula in creating humane communities for animals. The WaterShed Animal Fund is pleased to see this promising coalition come to fruition and is proud to help fund their efforts for Tulsa animals,” said Christy Counts, President of WaterShed Animal Fund.
The Coalition’s first event will be a Free Vaccination Clinic on Saturday, December 8 at the Hicks Community Center, 3443 South Mingo Road, 74146 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Veterinarians and staff will be onsite to provide free rabies, DA2PPV, and FVRCP vaccines, $5 microchips, $2 identification tags, and free collars to Tulsan’s dogs or cats. The goal is to vaccinate 500 dogs/cats. The event is first come, first serve and will continue as long as supplies last.
Donations are appreciated and can be given to any of the Coalition Partners. Please include a note “Coalition for Tulsa Pets.”
To learn more, visit coalitionfortulsapets.org.
About Tulsa Animal Welfare
Tulsa Animal Welfare Mission – City of Tulsa Animal Welfare is dedicated to providing temporary shelter, compassionate care and humane disposition of lost and unwanted animals; investigating and preventing animal cruelty, neglect and inhumane treatment; enforcing animal ordinances and laws; assuring public health and safety; and promoting responsible pet ownership.
Tulsa Animal Welfare Priorities
About Humane Society of Tulsa
The Humane Society of Tulsa is celebrating 20 years of bringing pets and people together and keeping pets and people together. We are a private non-profit organization committed to the promotion of responsible animal ownership and pet population control. We strive to accomplish these goals by working hand in hand with our community to provide education, counseling and assurance on proper pet care and the importance of spaying and neutering. We hope to inspire awareness and compassion for all animals great and small. To learn more, please visit our website tulsapets.com
About Tulsa SPCA
The Tulsa Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ mission is to improve the lives of dogs and cats, and their human companions. In our more than 100 years, the Tulsa SPCA has provided health care, shelter, food and most of all, love, to thousands of animals. We continue to grow and do our work with the generous support of our donors and the dedication of our volunteers. To learn more, visit tulsaspca.org.
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