According to American Humane, there are an estimated 3-4 million animals waiting to be saved from the shelters. (Editor’s note: some estimates place this number at more than 6.5 million. For more information, visit Shocking Pet Adoption Statistics And Figures (worldanimalfoundation.org)) Here in Enid, we have a few places/organizations that do all they can to help the animals in town, and each organization makes its own efforts to try and help animals who are looking for their forever home. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals helps promote and sponsor Adopt a Shelter Dog Month every October, and they do so in an effort to help dogs get the second chance they deserve.
Shelter dogs include many different types of dogs for many different reasons. Whether the dog was an owner surrender, mistreated and abused, abandoned, or lost, many of them tend to end up at the shelters. Organizations like the ESPCA do everything they can to ensure that those dogs find themselves a forever home, and places like the Enid Animal Shelter do all they can to enforce the laws of Enid and keep the animals and people of Enid safe. With that being said, these organizations can only do so much, and there’s a reason October is recognized as Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. According to National Today, “No one knows the exact number of dogs that find safe harbor and temporary housing in community animal shelters each year. But these shelters are the last hope for an estimated 3.3 – 4.5 million misunderstood, unwanted, abused, or neglected dogs in need of a fresh start with a compassionate human friend.” These shelters and organizations are often dogs’ last chance at a life they deserve.
American Humane states, “Be a hero this month and adopt a dog from your local shelter or rescue group. You’ll be saving his or her life and greatly improving your own as dogs are amazing, supportive, and heroic companions.” Dogs can make such an impact on the lives of those they love, and that alone is reason enough to want your own special companion. Whether you want an emotional support dog, a service dog, or just a friend to wag their tail when you come home, a dog will add so much to your life. There’s a reason they say a dog is a man’s best friend, and that’s because they are loyal, and they love you unconditionally. In addition to their unconditional love, there are many other reasons why people should get a dog. The Animal Health Foundation lists 8 reasons why people should own an animal, which are more physical activity, less stress, lower blood pressure, lower risk of heart attacks, alleviation of depression, allergy prevention, low blood sugar detection, and less risk of stroke. Giving a dog a second chance and rescuing them from a shelter can improve your overall physical health in addition to giving you a new best friend and purpose.
In order to get a better understanding of just how relevant Adopt a Shelter Dog Month is, we spoke with the ESPCA and EAS, and we also spoke to a couple of community members who’ve actually adopted and saved a shelter dog to get their input and experiences.
Vickie Grantz is the director of the ESPCA, which is a local non-profit that works with lost, abandoned, and unwanted animals in the Enid area. Their website states, “Our mission is to provide compassionate care to companion animals awaiting adoption” and, “Our vision is to end pet overpopulation and create a community of responsible pet ownership.” The ESPCA offers many programs and resources to help better the lives of the animals in Enid. Whether you’re looking to adopt, spay or neuter your animal, or even just for some extra help with feeding your animal, the ESPCA has you covered! They offer a low-cost spay and neuter program for dogs and cats in an effort to foster responsible pet ownership and help keep future dogs off the streets and out of the shelters. They also have a pet food pantry, which helps keep families together by providing food assistance for those difficult times in life. They also have a Rescue Wagon that helps transport animals to their forever homes, and they offer a free spay/neuter and microchip voucher when you adopt from the EAS. They do all of this to not only help you and your fur baby, but it also helps better the future of Enid, animals of Enid, and shelters in Enid. If you’re interested in being a hero and adopting a dog today, visit enidspca.org for more information! You can find their adoption applications online, and you can find ways to help, whether that be volunteering or donating. To start your process, stop by the ESPCA or visit their website to see what dogs are awaiting their forever home. Once you’ve found a dog you’re interested in, fill out their adoption application. Filling out an application starts a conversation. You’ll then be presented with the option to meet the animal you’re inquiring about, and their mission is to ensure a good match for both you and your potential pet. After all, these dogs deserve a forever home, not a temporary home that’ll eventually land them back in a shelter. So, before you consider adopting and rescuing, be sure you know what you’re getting into. Dogs are amazing and bring so much love into your life, but they’re also dependent on you for their needs and well-being. The bottom line is that pets are more than a Christmas present, so don’t adopt unless you’re willing to provide them with a home and love for the rest of their life.
Allen Elder is the Supervisor for the EAS, and we sat down with him to further discuss adopting shelter dogs. To start the adoption process at the EAS, stop by to see what dogs are available, or visit their Facebook page, which is Adopt-A-Pet (ENID Animal Shelter), as they post their animals daily. When you adopt an animal from the EAS, you’ll receive a voucher for spay/neutering, shots, and a microchip, and it’ll all be free. The EAS and the ESPCA work together on those vouchers to encourage adoptions and keep your fur babies healthy. There are no prerequisites or inspections required when adopting. Allen says, “We just want you to take a dog and save its life.” The animals are first come, first serve, and the EAS’s main goal is for you to save an animal. However, their main mission is to uphold and enforce the animal laws of Enid, which protects citizens and animals. Throughout the week, you can stop by to look at animals and adopt them from 10:00am-6:00pm, and on the weekends, their hours are 12:00pm-3:00pm. The EAS also takes volunteers and donations, so if you’re unable to adopt, you can still help!
After interviewing the shelters here in Enid, we decided to sit down and interview a couple of people who’ve actually adopted from the shelters in Enid. We interviewed Cari Mattox, and Cari adopted Dunkin and Gunner from the ESPCA. She decided to rescue/adopt because she saw the shelters continuously filling up, and she realized shelter dogs desperately need homes. They adopted Dunkin when he was a few months old, and Cari later adopted Gunner. Gunner had been in the shelter for almost a year after his previous owner passed away. She said, “I kept seeing him posted on the ESPCA Facebook page, and every time I saw him, my heart ached for him. You could just see how much life his sweet 6-year-old self still had and how badly he wanted to give it to the right person.” When they began the adoption process with Gunner, they set up a meet and greet for them to meet Gunner and for Dunkin to meet Gunner, and she said, “by the time our meet and greet was over, we knew he was coming home with us.” She continued with, “he is by far the best dog I have ever had the privilege to love.” They recently celebrated Gunner’s 7th birthday, and she says he’s thriving. She goes on to say, “Both of our dogs that we adopted at the ESPCA have different personalities, but they both deserved a second chance, and we are so thankful we could give that to them. I truly believe that we needed them just as much as they needed us.” Cari said that the staff at the ESPCA was amazing, and she goes on to say “The staff at the ESPCA will always be family to our dogs. They gave them what they needed until we got them.” Cari’s advice for future adopters is, “Give the animals time to adjust to you and your home. Do not give up on them within a day, week, or month of bringing them to your home. It takes time for them to feel safe and secure, so give it to them, and you’ll have the best pet/best friend you could ever hope for.”
We also sat down with Keith Holsten from K/H Financial. Keith stumbled upon a post from the ESPCA on his page about a Great Pyrenees they currently had up for adoption. They decided to go and have a meet and greet, and that’s how they ended up with Jasper Parker James Holston, also known as Parker the Barker. You may have seen him around town at places like Settlers Brewing Company or at K/H Financial as he’s there to greet anyone who walks in. Jasper and Keith are now next to inseparable. Keith says, “After 2 days, he just made himself at home. He always comes to bed at night and sleeps through the night, and then he gets up at 6:30am when the suns coming up ready to go to work.” Keith mentions that some people may have misconceptions about shelter dogs, whether it’s that they’re aggressive, have issues, or are dangerous, but he says that’s not always the case. He said, “I feel like, in most rescue cases, they will adapt to their new environment.” When it comes to those misconceptions many have about dogs, Keith says he feels the opposite about shelter dogs. He says, “I feel like rescue dogs seem to inherently be more appreciative and loving because of their situation.” In reference to Jasper, he goes on to say that, “It’s been wonderful. I didn’t know that I wanted or needed a dog. He’s sweet to everybody in our family, but he chose me as his person for some crazy reason. It’s amazing – we’re not even deserving of their affection. I don’t know that I deserve that, but that’s what he gives me.” Because of Jasper, Keith and his business have begun donating to the ESPCA. His business has 5 causes that they regularly give to, and the ESPCA is one of those causes. Keith’s advice to future adopters is to, “Make sure your committed because it’s a big life decision. And it’s important to interact with the animal before you get them, and one of the coolest things about the ESPCA is that they provide that environment.”
From October 1st to October 15th, the adoption fee at the ESPCA is being reduced to $50 thanks to the Empty The Shelters Program! The Bissel Pet Foundation exists to assist animal welfare organizations, and their Empty The Shelters Program has moved over 140,000 pets into forever homes. Saving a pup and providing them with a forever home has never been easier, so please take the time to check out the shelters website’s and help a fur baby today. Even if you can’t adopt, you can foster, volunteer, or donate – anything helps! In addition to volunteering and donating, you can also share these organizations Facebook posts and pages. Vickie states, “If you share that, then you’re opening up a new window for the amount of people who are going to see that animal and possibly think about them. And we ask you to do that because it’s actually life and death for these animals.” Even if you can’t adopt or give much, you can still make a difference by simply spreading the word.
