Healthy Animals, Healthy Tulsa Welcomes New City Council, Shelter Leaders

Healthy Animals, Healthy Tulsa, a coalition of nonprofit animal welfare organizations serving Tulsa, recently welcomed new city councilors and the new administrative leadership of Tulsa Animal Welfare. Nearly 100 people attended the event, which was held Friday February 24 at Centennial Center in Veterans Park. This was the first in-person gathering of HAHT, formed in 2022 to elevate conversations with city leaders about the connection between animal and community well-being.

“The event was a huge success and has generated a lot of buzz from the animal welfare community about how we can work together in the future for the betterment of both the animal and human residents of our city,” said Samantha Polen, founder of T-Town TNR, a coalition partner.

The welcome event followed Healthy Animals, Healthy Tulsa’s successful launch initiative last summer, which queried candidates for Tulsa City Council on a series of questions specific to animal welfare. The next step for HAHT is to identify a leadership committee comprised of members of partner organizations to begin considering future strategies to engage community leaders about the importance of animal well-being while finalizing an organizational structure to pursue funding support for future HAHT activities.

Spay/Neuter Takes Center Stage in Ponca City

Residents in and around Ponca City are lining up en masse to have their pets sterilized during one of Oklahoma’s largest spay-neuter pushes of 2023. The free event, a collaboration between Northern Oklahoma Humane Society and Greater Good Charities’ Good Fix program, also includes free vaccinations and microchips for dogs and cats that are spayed or neutered. Organizers are hoping to conduct 1,300 surgeries during the week-long event and have already conducted nearly 500 sterilizations.

“Greater Good Charities believes high-volume sterilizations combined with TNR (Trap, Neuter Return) is the most effective and humane method of dog and cat population control and overall community animal health,” said Laura Littlebear, Vice President of Pet Programs with Good Fix. “Spaying and neutering more than 1,000 animals this week will go a long way toward preventing unwanted litters across the area, humanely minimizing the free-roaming dog and cat population over time.”

Through Good Fix, specially trained high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter surgical teams were deployed to Ponca City this week to work with Northern Oklahoma Humane Society, which rallied community support. Organizers are hopeful this initiative will help reduce the burden on animal shelters when unwanted puppies and kittens are brough in as strays.

Pet-Inclusive Housing Crisis Subject of Upcoming Webinar

Be part of an upcoming free Webinar that will address the critical need for pet-inclusive housing/policies as well as solutions for Oklahoma. This vital discussion will take place on Tuesday, March 28th at 11am with presenters from the Michelson Found Animals Foundation.

Why does pet-inclusive housing matter? Here are a few key facts:
● 70% of people in the US own a pet. And although 76% of housing owners and operators say they are pet-friendly, 76% of renters say that pet-friendly housing is hard to find. Something isn’t adding up.
● What difference can pet-inclusive housing make? Bridging the gap by increasing the availability of pet-inclusive housing can help families find the homes they need, provide economic benefits to owners/operators, and help more than 8 million animals find new homes over time.
● Are there benefits to housing operators from being more accommodating to pets? Yes! On average, residents in pet-friendly housing stay 21% longer than those in non-pet-friendly housing, and 83% of housing operators say pet-friendly vacancies are filled faster.

The team from Michelson Found Animals will present the findings from their groundbreaking Pet Inclusive Housing Initiative. This initiative hopes to bridge the gap between pet-owners and rental housing owners/operators through data and market-based solutions that are beneficial to both renters and owners/operators alike.

“Bridging the gap by increasing the availability of pet-inclusive housing can help Oklahoma individuals and families find the homes they need while providing impressive economic returns to owners/operators. Given that Oklahoma is fifth worst in the nation for the needless euthanasia of cats and dogs on a per-1000 basis, our state’s rental housing industry can play a vital role in making Oklahoma a humane, no-kill state, while ensuring steady profits.” - Louisa McCune, Executive Director Kirkpatrick Foundation

Please join us on the 28th! Simply email: [email protected] and we will send you the zoom link and details.

Common Bonds Leadership Spotlight: Kim Rumshlag

Meet Kim Rumschlag, president of Altus Animal Welfare Association and a member of the Common Bonds Steering Committee.

What's the biggest reward you get from your animal welfare work?

“For me it starts with saving an animal and making their life as comfortable and enriching as possible. A rescued animal has such a grateful heart, how can you not be filled by that? Secondly, it always means so much to be able to help a family keep their pet. Also, working in animal welfare you find like-minded people who are so easy to bond with because they share your passion. Animal people are my kind of people.”

Of all the animals you've encountered (home or work), what one animal do you remember most and why?

“There are so many, but the one that sticks out the most is a little black pug named Sam. Sam was with me for 15 years, thru the toughest years of my life and without him, I truly do not believe I would be here today.”

How do you see Common Bonds making a positive difference for animal welfare in Oklahoma?

“Common Bond’s objective of all Oklahoma shelters becoming no-kill status is without a doubt a lofty endeavor, but one I totally believe can and will be done. Animal welfare has come so far, fairly quickly and there are more and more like-minded individuals coming together. We are stronger together, and Common Bonds helps us stay together.”

What's one piece of advice you'd like to share with your colleagues in animal welfare?

“The work is never ending and most of the time goes unnoticed. It will impact you physically, mentally and emotionally, but whatever you do NEVER EVER GIVE UP. The good Lord made me compassionate toward animals because he needed me to be this way. We all have a purpose in life, luckily, I found mine out many years ago. I am supposed to help take care of his creatures. He entrusted me to do so, and somehow had enough confidence in me that I would be strong enough to do my entire life.”

Today's Common Bonds leadership spotlight features Kim Rumschlag, President of Altus Animal Welfare Association and member of the Common Bonds Steering Committee, who focuses on positive systems change in animal welfare in Altus and across Oklahoma.

What's the biggest reward you get from your animal welfare work?

For me it starts with saving an animal and making their life as comfortable and enriching as possible. A rescued animal has such a grateful heart, how can you not be filled by that? Secondly, it always means so much to be able to help a family keep their pet. Also, working in animal welfare you find like-minded people who are so easy to bond with because they share your passion. Animal people are my kind of people.

Of all the animals you've encountered (home or work), what one animal do you remember most and why?

There are so many, but the one that sticks out the most is a little black pug named Sam. Sam was with me for 15 years, thru the toughest years of my life and without him, I truly do not believe I would be here today.

How do you see Common Bonds making a positive difference for animal welfare in Oklahoma?

Common Bond’s objective of all Oklahoma shelters becoming no-kill status is without a doubt a lofty endeavor, but one I totally believe can and will be done. Animal welfare has come so far, fairly quickly and there are more and more like-minded individuals coming together. We are stronger together, and Common Bonds helps us stay together.

5. What's one piece of advice you'd like to share with your colleagues in animal welfare?

The work is never ending and most of the time goes unnoticed. It will impact you physically, mentally and emotionally, but whatever you do NEVER EVER GIVE UP. The good Lord made me compassionate toward animals because he needed me to be this way. We all have a purpose in life, luckily, I found mine out many years ago. I am supposed to help take care of his creatures. He entrusted me to do so, and somehow had enough confidence in me that I would be strong enough to do my entire life.

Upcoming

March 16: Shelter Engagement Group Zoom

March 23: Government Engagement Group Zoom

March 23: National Puppy Day

March 28: Respect Your Cat Day

April: Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month

April: Heartworm Awareness Month

April: National Pet First Aid Awareness Month

April 6-10: National Dog Bite Prevention Week

April 8: National Dog Fighting Awareness Day

April 11: National Pet Day