TULSA, Okla. — Some neighbors in North Tulsa say they are tired of the growing family living on their street.
In the city limits of Tulsa, residents are allowed to have a maximum of five dogs (or a dog/cat combination must not exceed five). However, roughly 13 large pit bulls can be seen in a chain link fenced front yard on East Admiral Court. An anonymous neighbor contacted 2 News concerned, not only about the number of dogs, but that they are witnessing them continue to mate.
2 News went to the house and did not find a neighbor to talk on camera, but several echoed concerns. One said the barking is 24-7. Another is frustrated with the number of dogs as well as the criminal activity at the house. Tulsa Police say, in the last year, officers have been to the house six times, including responding to an alleged drugs-involved murder.
Due to the “Beware of Dog” sign and the aggressive nature of the dogs, we did not go to the front door. We called out to two men hunched over in the front yard, but they did not respond. Later, a woman came outside who did not wish to talk to us, either.
In an email from the City of Tulsa, we were told that the owners had recently reduced the number of dogs to seven. From our view, that is not the case.
The owners have been ticketed once, and we are told the city has been working with them since August to get them in compliance.
This is the rest of the response received:
City of Tulsa Animal Services is aware of the property and is proactively taking steps to ensure the owner is in compliance with City ordinances.
- In August, Tulsa Animal Services conducted a welfare check after receiving a complaint of too many dogs at that address. At that time, a citation was issued for unsterilized animals.
- In October, Tulsa Animal Services assisted the Tulsa Police Department during an investigation at that address. At that time, animal control officers spoke to the owner again about sterilization. The owner showed evidence that they had two appointments scheduled and noted that they were in the process of getting all the animals sterilized.
- Since November, Tulsa Animal Services has visited the property four additional times and progress has been made on spaying/neutering. During these visits, the owner expressed their desire to rehome more of the dogs to bring the property into compliance.
- The property is in cue for a priority call for service and a recheck will be made.
While we understand the concerns residents may have about homes/owners with too many animals, we must also operate under state law. In Oklahoma, dogs are considered property, so unless the owners are violating the humane standards of care (i.e., neglect or animal cruelty), Tulsa Animal Services cannot remove the animals. In such instances, citations can and will be issued, and Tulsa Animal Services does offer the ability to surrender the animal(s) to our care. In this instance, the owner has not wanted to surrender them.
In all animal cases, Tulsa Animal Services’ job is to provide wraparound services for Tulsans, including education, resources (when available and appropriate), and enforcement (when necessary).
Tulsans are encouraged to call Tulsa Animal Services at (918) 596-8001 to report an animal problem, strays, or an animal-inflicted injury. For more information on Tulsa Animal Services, visit www.cityoftulsa.org/TAS [cityoftulsa.org].
Colton Jones, operations manager with Tulsa Animal Services, would not speak on a specific case but explained that the city would rather work with owners than fine them $75 because that money could be used to spay and neuter the animals. While voluntarily surrendering is an option, many of the pet owners decline because the shelter euthanizes thousands of animals every year.
“Our capacity is no secret,” said Jones. “We do have capacity issues and that puts us in a position of having to make those hard decisions."
The answers don’t offer much hope for neighbors tired of watching what they consider a large dog breeding operation taking place right in their front yard.
After leaving the neighborhood, 2 News was able to get in contact with the homeowner by phone. He said they had not sterilized the animals due to the cost. While the city said the owners were not interested in surrendering the animals, the homeowner told me they were open to getting help from the city or a rescue organization to be in compliance.
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