That’s right! We have lots of dogs and cats available for adoption, but you even if you can’t adopt, you can support homeless animals in Oklahoma City by purchasing collars, leashes, clothing (for dogs and people!), toys, food, treats, beds, crates and any other supplies you can think of at our OK Humane Retail store!

It’s located at our adoption center, at 7500 N. Western Ave. in Oklahoma City. We’re open 11 am to 7 pm Tuesday through Saturday, and 12 noon to 5 pm on Sunday. (We’re closed for cleaning on Mondays).

So stop by to purchase any supplies you need for your dog or cat, and help Oklahoma animals at the same time!

Janet Napolitano’s Department of Homeland Security announced last month that it plans to train 3,000 dogs over the next five years to help keep Americans safe. The Department is looking for Labs, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, and other “breeds with prior approval” to help FEMA and Customs and Border Patrol agents in their work.

Great, I thought. Shelters are loaded with these breeds — many right in the age group they’re looking for: one to three years. As I read further, however, I learned that the Department is not going to enlist shelter dogs for this task. Instead they’ll pay millions of dollars to breeders to “create” what we, in essence, already have.

The worst part: Only 20% of the bred dogs will qualify for the Department’s programs. That means the remaining 80% — around 12,000 dogs — will need homes, adding considerably to the number of homeless dogs already waiting to be adopted.

Urge Janet Napolitano to reconsider her decision to add to the millions of animals in shelters, many of whom will ultimately face euthanasia. Ask dog-loving congress members for their help in influencing Napolitano. (Please keep your emails short and respectful; see below for examples.)

Let’s take the fight to the national level on behalf of shelter dogs across this country.

Email:

Janet Napolitano

Barack Obama

John McCain

Al Franken

Dennis Kucinich

Sample letters (feel free to cut and paste):

Dear Secretary Napolitano,

On behalf of the millions of shelter animals nation wide, please reconsider your decision to contract breeders to provide dogs for Department of Homeland Security programs. There are millions of shelter dogs across the country, some facing euthanasia or months in a tiny kennel, who fit your required breed, age, and temperament criteria. Please don’t ignore the potential of these animals – according to experts, shelter dogs can be just as successful in this work as those who are bred – or the moral obligation we have to them. They deserve the chance to not only serve our nation, but to live.

Sincerely,

(your name)

Dear President Obama [Senator Franken/Congressman Kucinich],

On behalf of the millions of shelter animals nation wide, I kindly ask you to urge Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to reconsider her decision to contract breeders to provide dogs for Department programs. There are millions of shelter dogs across the country, some facing euthanasia or months in a tiny kennel, who fit the breed, age, and temperament criteria required for such training. Please don’t ignore the potential of these animals (according to experts, shelter dogs can be just as successful in this work as those who are bred) or the moral obligation we have to them. They deserve the chance to not only serve our nation, but to live.

Sincerely,

(Your name)

The bill will regulate the number of adults dogs breeders can keep.

Jennifer Loren, The Oklahoma Impact Team, KOTV

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — Governor Brad Henry signed puppy mill legislation, known as the Black Market Breeders bill [Senate Bill 1712], into law Thursday.

“And they don’t realize that we’re up here really fighting for our lives,” Gary Phillips, Dog Breeder, said.

For three years dog breeders and animal rights advocates have taken their dogfight to the state capitol, and Thursday, advocates could celebrate.

“We’re very excited. It’s a big day for dogs in Oklahoma. I think it’s high time this community took control of the problem,” Christy Counts, Central Oklahoma Humane Society, said.

High-volume breeding operations will now be regulated. The idea is to stop the worst breeding operations, known as puppy mills, from operating in Oklahoma.

Right now, puppy mills can only be stopped when there’s evidence of severe animal cruelty.

It's one story after the next with people who are coming over state lines," said Ruth Steinberger, Oklahoma Alliance for Animals. "We have no regulations so we're becoming a default zone."

It’s one story after the next with people who are coming over state lines,” said Ruth Steinberger, Oklahoma Alliance for Animals. “We have no regulations so we’re becoming a default zone.”

She released a statement Thursday afternoon:

“The governor’s signature signals an enormous victory for local animal advocates who have struggled for these regulations through three legislative sessions. Today marks the end of an era in which puppies could be produced in Oklahoma in filth, misery and darkness and the beginning of an era in which high volume pet breeders will be held accountable as they are in our surrounding states. Oklahomans overwhelmingly oppose animal cruelty and with this signature the majority of Oklahomans have been heard.”

But breeders who fought against regulation say the law as its written is unconstitutional.

“I personally believe that what is going on is, maybe well-intended, but the direction that it is going is absolutely off the tracks,” Michael Costin, a breeders’ lobbyist, said.

But with the Governor’s signature, breeders who own 11 or more females will be regulated by a commission. Those breeders will pay a fee and be licensed.

Violators can be fined and charged with misdemeanors.

Plus, breeders will now be required to get a sales tax permit so the Oklahoma Tax Commission can track their sales.

“To good hobby breeders and good commercial breeders it means not that much,” Counts said. “But to breeders that are operating in substandard conditions it’s going to mean a lot. It means that we’re not going to tolerate it anymore as a community.”

The new law goes into effect January 1, 2011.

Link to story

As a last-ditch effort, the breeders, puppy millers and others who oppose SB 1712 are hitting the Governor with a full-court press today.

We have come so far, and are so close to victory for animals with this bill! We cannot let it slip away now.

Please, contact Governor Henry today by phone, at (405) 521-2342, or by filling out his contact form on his web site.

Ask him to please sign SB 1712 into law.

Thanks for all you have done to advance this bill! It is truly because of your actions, each and every one of you, that this bill has been successful. Our voices have been heard and it is the animals that will benefit from this legislation. Thank you.

Of course, the big news is that SB 1712 has passed the House and the Senate and is now on its way to Governor Henry’s desk for his signature. Once this bill becomes law, it will make it more difficult for puppy mills to operate in Oklahoma, and it will crack down on the millions in unreported, uncollected sales tax dollars that should be coming from roadside and Internet puppy sales.

We are extremely happy about the success of this bill, and we know that its passage would NEVER have been possible without YOUR help. You guys responded to the call, every time. You called, emailed, wrote senators. You went to the Capitol and talked to people. You wrote letters to the editor. Everything you did culminated in this victory for animals in our state. We want to thank you, each one of you, with all our hearts for taking the time to make those calls and write those emails. It truly did make a difference!

Switching gears a bit, we have several adoption-related events coming up this spring and they are really cool! We hope to see you there, and since we’ll need to get as many animals into the program to prepare for these events, if you’ve been thinking about being a foster home, now is the time! We could sure use you! Contact caitlin@okhumane.org or 405-286-1503 for more information.

First up, tomorrow (April 30) is the LAST DAY of our penny war!!  The cats have taken over the lead once again! Someone brought in a jar full of pennies just for them.

Tomorrow is the last day for you to come show your support and donate to these amazing animals. Just think…that one penny you didn’t donate could’ve made all the difference. Do you really want the cats rubbing it in for another year??? Do you really want the dogs ruining the cats’ winning streak??? It’s all up to YOU!

Bring your pennies by our adoption center (7500 N. Western) before 7pm tomorrow night and put them in the jar of your choice, dogs or cats. Here’s how the Penny War works.

Then next up is our special cat promotion, Cinco de Gato! On Wednesday, May 5, only at the Adoption Center, all day, ALL cats 6 months of age and older can be adopted for ONLY $5! That’s a $5 adoption fee to take home a new forever friend. This includes all vaccinations, microchip, spay/neuter surgery and 1 month free health insurance. What a deal! Come meet our fantastic, beautiful, friendly felines who are looking for new homes on May 5.

After Cinco de Gato we’ll be gearing up for our huge adoption event, “Midnight Woofness: A Woofsummer Night’s Dream” to be held June 5-6 at the PetSmart store at I-240 and South Pennsylvania. More than 300 animals will be available for adoption, and that is our goal–to adopt 300 animals! We’ll have OK Humane dogs there (and a few cats), there will also be animals from the Oklahoma City Animal Shelter, Red Dirt Boxer Rescue and the Heartland Lab Rescue.

Midnight Woofness is a 48-hour mega-adoption event. That’s right, we’ll be there around the clock for two days, having adoption specials and promotions, to find homes for a lot of GREAT animals! We’ll be posting lots of live updates and videos and photos from the event, so stay tuned at http://midnightwoofness.okhumane.org.

Now, if we’re going to find homes for that many animals, we are going to need to get a lot more animals into our adoption program in the next month. So we need your help! Have you ever considered being a foster home? We are going to need lots more foster homes to make this event work! So even if you can be a temporary foster, or just want to try it out, this is the perfect time.  Please, if you can foster, please contact caitlin@okhumane.org or 405-286-1503.

Let me also mention that we are in dire need of bleach, laundry detergent and distilled water at our Southeast OKC clinic. All of these items are tax deductible, and you can drop them off at any of our locations (Adoption center, NW Clinic or SE Clinic), whichever is most convenient for you.

Every dollar NOT spent on supplies like this can go toward animal surgeries and care.

One other thing I wanted to point out is that the Central Oklahoma Humane Society is not a branch or arm of the Humane Society of the United States. We are not affiliated with the HSUS in any way. They are primarily a legislative advocacy and lobbying non-profit organization that works to enact humane, pro-animal legislation at the national level. OK Humane is a local non-profit organization, funded only through donations. We do not receive funding from the city or state government, or from HSUS or any other organization (except organizations and foundations that have awarded us grants). I just wanted to clear this up, because many people assume that we are a “local branch” of the HSUS, which is not the case. We do work with the ASPCA and are part of their Community Partners program.

Well, I think I have covered all of the stuff we’ve got going on for the next couple of months. Of course, we will be announcing the results of the Penny War here and through our social media, and we’ll be keeping you updated on everything else that is going on.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post here or send us an email through the web site. Thanks for reading and thanks for supporting OK Humane!

PLEASE email the Senators on this list who voted in support of this bill and thank them today!!!

See the full vote record.

Find your senator here.


Anderson (405) 521-5630
anderson@oksenate.gov

Bass (405) 521-5567
bass@oksenate.gov

Bingman (405) 521-5528
bingman@oksenate.gov

Branan (405) 521-5543
branan@oksenate.gov

Brown (405) 521-5602
brownb@oksenate.gov

Burrage (405) 521-5555
garlick@oksenate.gov

Coates (405) 521-5547
coates@oksenate.gov

Coffee 405.530.2304 (fax)
coffee@oksenate.gov

Crain (405) 521-5620
crain@oksenate.gov

Crutchfield (405) 521-5607
(405) 530-2361 (fax)
bigger@oksenate.gov

Easley (405) 521-5590
easley@oksenate.gov

Eason (405) 521-5598
easonmcintyre@oksenate.gov

Ford (405) 521-5634
fordj@oksenate.gov

Halligan 405.521.5572
halligan@oksenate.gov

Johnson, Connie (405) 521-5531
(405) 521-5580 – Fax
johnsonc@oksenate.gov

Johnson (M) 405.521.5592
johnsonm@oksenate.gov

Jolley (405) 521-5622
jolley@oksenate.gov

Lamb (405) 521-5632
lamb@oksenate.gov

Laster (405) 521-5539
laster@oksenate.gov

Leftwich (405) 521-5557
holland@oksenate.gov

Marlatt 405.521.5626
marlatt@oksenate.gov

Mazzei (405) 521-5675
mazzei@oksenate.gov

Myers 405.521.5628
ingraham@oksenate.gov

Newberry 405.521.5600
newberry@oksenate.gov

Paddack (405) 521-5541
paddack@oksenate.gov

Rice (405) 521-5610
rice@oksenate.gov

Sparks (405) 521-5553
sparks@oksenate.gov

Stanislawski 405.521.5624
stanislawski@oksenate.gov

Wilson (405) 521-5574
wilson@oksenate.gov

On Monday, Apr 26, contact your Senator in support of SB 1712.

On April 21 the Oklahoma House of Representatives voted 59 to 31 in favor of SB 1712, aka “The Black Market Breeders Bill.” This is fantastic news, but the fight is not over.

Early next week SB 1712 will go back to the Oklahoma Senate for a final vote to approve amendments which have been made since the bill was introduced this session. Without the approval of these amendments the bill will not become law.

We know you are tired of repeating this message, but your voice is the only voice the dogs have.

If you are complacent the dogs may lose out another year.

Last year, the final action to address puppy mills stalled after passing both houses and died waiting for a final approval. DO NOT BE SILENT NOW!

Please call, e-mail or visit your state senator on Monday, April 26 with the following message:

• SB 1712 will address the cruelty, tax evasion and consumer fraud that is rampant in the black market puppy trade in our state.
• Let’s put the puppy mill issue behind us in Oklahoma-vote yes for SB 1712.

To find your senator go to: http://www.capitolconnect.com/oklahoma/default.aspx

For more information visit www.okpuppymilltruth.org

THANK YOU!!

The vote was 59 – 31. Please see the vote record here.

This is the language of the bill with the amendments.

You can read about the history and progress of the bill here.

We’ll write more tomorrow. For now, THANK YOU to everyone who called and wrote their Senators and Representatives. This victory is because of YOU!

We are not completely done yet–this bill will not yet become law. There are a few amendments (all minor, and acceptable), so now it has to go back to the Senate to be approved. So there are a few more steps, but this was definitely the major hurdle.

We’ll keep you all posted with more information!!

TODAY, April 20, IS THE DAY TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD.

Please call, e mail or visit your representative on Tuesday.

Oklahoma representatives must hear from you. They are certainly hearing from the breeders; the dogs count on us to be their voice.

If you want dogs in puppy mills to be protected by minimum standards of care, call, e-mail or visit your representative on Tuesday.

If you want high volume breeders to be accountable for the taxes they are already supposed to pay, please call, e-mail or visit your representative today.

SB 1712 is the only high volume breeder bill that creates mandatory licensing of high volume breeders.

Because this bill compels breeders to collect and remit the taxes they are already supposed to pay, SB 1712 is the only bill that makes sense financially. It is the only breeder bill that Oklahoma can implement today!

Please refer to these talking points:

• Please support SB 1712.
• Oklahomans support fairness and oppose the tax evasion and animal cruelty that is found in puppy mills across our state.
• This is a secretive industry that is costing Oklahoma each day.
• Only through mandatory licensing which compels breeders to collect the taxes they are now supposed to collect and remit will the embarrassment of being a “puppy mill state,” be behind us.

Find your representative here. Scroll down to see your state representative.

For more information go to www.okpuppymilltruth.org.