Tulsa animal shelters have seen a surge in dogs after the winter storm, and the large influx has made it hard for a local animal shelter to continue its day-to-day operations. We spoke to the Tulsa Animal Services Director of Operations, Colton Jones, about what the shelter’s been dealing with since the storm.
Q: How many calls did Tulsa Animal Services respond to during the winter storm?
“Overall, last week we responded to over 200 calls for service,” Jones said. “160 of those or more were directly related to animals out in the elements and ended up with over 130 additional intakes.”
Q: How much does the shelter depend on local rescues when dealing with a large-scale intake?
“We cannot really shut our doors and not take in animals, so we have to continually move animals out, so we can free up space for the new ones that are coming in,” Jones said. “With the amount of influx in animals we’ve had, we’re really trying to push out to animal rescue partners that have the space.”
Q: How bad can it be when animals are left out in the cold?
“Animals can die, just like a human, they can get frostbite, they can succumb to hypothermia,” Jones explained. “They still are short-haired animals and do not have the ability to generate heat.”
Q: What can the community do to help?
“We’ve pleaded out to rescue partners, we’re asking the community if you’re ready to adopt, we have plenty of animals here that are able to be adopted,” Jones said. “Anybody that wants to adopt, we highly encourage people to come through, we’re open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily, and anybody that can provide a temporary home through fostering.”
Jones encourages people in adopting or fostering dogs from Tulsa Animal Services to reach out to them by phone at (918) 596-8010 or on social media. Adoptable shelter pets may be found on the Tulsa Animal Welfare website and may be visited at the Tulsa Animal Services location at 3031 N Erie Ave.
Related: Tulsa County deputies arrest 3 men accused of animal cruelty
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