TULSA, Okla. — Starting Thursday, Tulsa Animal Welfare is set to reopen after a five-week shutdown due to the spread of canine flu inside the facility.
While that shutdown was imperative for the animal’s safety, it also came at a cost to the community.
The Tulsa SPCA took in 40 animals from Tulsa Animal Welfare. In order to take care of the influx of animals, the SPCA was forced to halt intakes of their own.
Mindy Tiner, CEO of Tulsa SPCA, says they’ve had to turn a lot of people away, leading to more significant problems for the city as a whole.
“It leaves people who really are in a bad situation and need to surrender their pet because they have no other options and sometimes that results in animals being abandoned,” Tiner said.
Amanda Clinton stumbled upon three puppies abandoned in a box. She got help from Animal Aid of Tulsa which connected her with another organization, but it wasn’t easy.
“They said everyone was having a hard time intaking animals because of canine flu,” Clinton said.
Animal Aid couldn’t step in because, not only did they also halt intakes due to being inundated with animals, the organization limits rescues to sick or injured animals. That’s another reason Tulsa Animal Welfare is so critical.
“Tulsa Animal Welfare is a place that basically takes any animal without it meeting a specific rescue’s mission,” said Maggie Brown, Executive Director for Animal Aid of Tulsa.
2 News Oklahoma also contacted the Humane Society of Tulsa. The organization spokesperson told us they have not had to stop intakes, but calls have doubled. They receive up to 40 requests for intakes every day, not including walk-in guests.
Animal Aid of Tulsa is hosting a pancake breakfast to meet adoptable pets and support the organization's efforts on Jan. 28.
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