News
City of Tulsa Animal Welfare Partners with Humane Society of Tulsa
ARCHIVED PRESS RELEASE: Published 9-8-2011
Mayor Bartlett announced Thursday, September 8,
that the City of Tulsa Animal Welfare will partner with the Humane
Society of Tulsa (HST) for the adoption of pets at the city welfare
facility.
HST will provide the adoption service at no cost to the city or
receive any compensation for the service. HST will also provide
every adopted pet all age-appropriate vaccinations, spay/neuter,
microchip, and provide a care package to the adopter, which
includes 30 days of pre-paid pet health insurance.
Currently, Tulsa Animal Welfare euthanizes close to 7,500
animals or 68 percent of all animals received at the shelter each
year. HST works with a nationwide network of providers focused on
placing homeless cats and dogs and this partnership is expected to
significantly increase the numbers of adoptions at Tulsa Animal
Welfare.
"We look forward to this exciting new partnership that will not
only increase animal adoptions, but decrease animal euthanizations
significantly," Mayor Dewey Bartlett said. "Through this
partnership, the City of Tulsa is expected to save up to $600,000
which will be redirected back to Animal Welfare to help expand
public educational programs and provide additional animal
control."
HST will have a six month transition period while services are
transferred from Animal Welfare. After the transition period is
complete and both parties are satisfied with adoption rates and the
transition process, HST will serve as the sole provider of adoption
services for the City of Tulsa.
"The Humane Society of Tulsa is thrilled to be able to provide
this opportunity to the City of Tulsa," said Gina Gardner,
President of the Humane Society of Tulsa. "With a $100,000 private
donation and our new custom mobile transport unit we will strive to
reduce the City's euthanasia rate by 50 percent. We hope that the
citizens of Tulsa will support us in our efforts to change the
plight of homeless animals in our community."
In June of this year, the City of Tulsa released a Request for
Information (RFI) to generate ideas that might help the city better
achieve its animal welfare responsibilities. In response to the
RFI, the city received three responses from local agencies, with
the Humane Society of Tulsa offering the adoption service to the
city.
The Humane Society of Tulsa is a private non-profit
organization committed to the promotion of responsible pet
ownership and pet population control. The Humane Society of Tulsa
strives to accomplish these goals by working hand in hand with the
community to provide education, counseling and assistance on proper
pet care and the importance of spaying and neutering. The Humane
Society of Tulsa hopes to inspire awareness and compassion for all
animals great and small.
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