Pet Assistance League of Oklahoma, Inc. Celebrates First Birthday!
October 8, 2007 : 8:24 AM
Together we have saved almost 900 lives since
the beginning of 2007.
From The President
The Pet Assistance League is getting ready to celebrate its first birthday. Together we have saved almost 900 lives since the beginning of 2007. None of this would be possible without the dedication and help from our volunteers. You are truly appreciated and an integral part of our success.
Due to this wonderful momentum, the board of PAL-OK has unanimously decided to merge with the Oklahoma Humane Society. This merger will be effective November 1st. At that time, we will no longer be operating as PAL-OK, and we will no longer have a PAL-OK board of directors; however, I sit on the board of directors of the OHS. Our web site will merge with the OHS web site.
As you may already know, the Oklahoma Humane Society was formed earlier this year. One of its primary goals is to help the Oklahoma City Animal Welfare Division become a no-kill community. Its first effort was the Trap Neuter Release Program. In this program, feral cat colonies have been identified, trapped, spayed/neutered and released back to the environment from which they came (or, for tame cats, adopted into new homes). We have been a major force in placing the adoptable cats coming from this program. We will continue to do so, only in bigger numbers. The goal was to trap 1000 cats on or before April 2008. As of today, the number is approximately 750, way above the expected number at this time. Since feral cats are a part of the euthanasia numbers at the shelter, this program will directly affect not only the number euthanized per year, but also the numbers coming into the shelter in the first place.
The second tier is the opening of spay-neuter clinics across the metro to serve the lower income citizens of our community. These areas are the sources of the largest number of animals entering the shelter. With the establishment of these clinics, again the numbers at the shelter will be directly impacted. There are currently two OHS clinics being established in the OKC area that will be open in the next few months.
The third tier of the plan is the rescue/adoption program. With the merger, our primary agenda will be the rescue and adoption program of OHS. This will be very similar to our current program with a few minor changes.
We will continue to have our adoption outreaches at PetSmart, the 24/7 cat adoption program and special outreaches throughout the year. Our goals after the merger will be to double our current adoption numbers through a much larger scale adoption program.
The fourth tier will be a very aggressive humane education program, both integrated in the school system and other community-wide events. This program will meet and exceed national standards.
We sincerely hope you will continue to be a part of this amazing transition. Each and every one of you has been an important part of our work as PAL-OK, and rest assured that you will each have a place as part of the Oklahoma Humane Society volunteer program as well. In fact, you'll have even more varied opportunities! We will continue to need fosters and outreach volunteers.
Part of the plan for OHS is to construct a facility to house these programs as well as administrative staff. We believe having these programs under one roof will be the total solution to our overpopulation crisis. The animals will benefit on a much larger scale and Oklahoma City will have one of the most progressive humane societies in the nation. We have long hoped that all the animal welfare groups in the OKC Metro would have an opportunity to work together and this is what OHS is about: collaboration. This is even more critical as MORE animals were euthanized last year than the year before. What this means to PAL-OK is we have certainly made a difference to the animals we have saved, but a bigger impact must happen. We must do something different. This is why we have chosen to make this change. Together, we can make it possible that no adoptable animal will be euthanized.
How you can help
We want you to be part of our efforts to save lives. This is such an exciting time. Please feel free to call me at 840-2285 or e-mail with any questions or comments at wrhoch@cox.net.
Sincerely,
Rita Hoch, President
and the PAL-OK Board of Directors
Visit the Oklahoma Humane Society web site!
http://www.okhumane.org/
Posted by Marti Lombardi for the Best Friends Animal Society,
Oklahoma Community
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