Christ Yoder
Related Articles
Animal rights activists emphasize the importance of social media when it comes to lost and found animals.
On Thursday, November 18, a woman contacted the Tahlequah Daily Press with a problem she was having after finding a stray dog. She said she contacted the Humane Society of Cherokee County and was advised to call the town’s animal control officer.
“When I finally found someone they told me they didn’t pick up stray dogs and told me to contact [HSCC], said the woman.
She said she had called the HSCC a second time and was told they could no longer accommodate dogs at this time and needed to call the animal shelter.
“It is an injustice to the animals in the city and something must be done. I mean, what’s the point of animal control if they can’t pick up stray animals? ” she said.
Animal control officer Vicky Green said both shelters are full at the moment and that until transport is complete, those picking up animals may have to accommodate them, for now.
“I am not accepting assignments at this time due to capacity. If it’s your own dog and you want to hand it over, you have to wait until I get my transport out and your dogs come in, ”Green said.
Anyone who finds a stray animal or picks up an animal should send as much information as possible, along with a photo of the dog, to Green.
“When you find animals like that, they have an owner, and you have to do your due diligence and locate that owner,” Green said.
There are several lost and found animal pages on Facebook for Tahlequah and Cherokee County to help people get the word out quickly. Green said it was imperative to research the dog’s owner before doing anything else.
“Give the owner a chance to find their own dog before you start giving it to someone,” she said.
Animals are held for a maximum of 10 days before being eligible for adoption.
The woman sent Green a photo of the stray dog and that information was posted in various groups on Facebook.
Shaun West, chairman of HSCC, said the shelter was operating at full capacity. They need to keep their numbers low due to COVID and because their transfer shelters aren’t accepting so many dogs now.
“I don’t think people realize that we keep dogs all their lives. We’re a ‘no kill’ shelter so when we take a dog we can have it for years, ”West said.
About 14 dogs stay at the HSCC shelter and are not transported.
“When we adopt one we have a place for a new one, but we have to track the dogs or they could end up staying at the shelter for 10 years or more, and that prevents us from being able to bring in more dogs,” said West.
