Animal Welfare Society of Ottawa County
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Welcome to the website of the Animal Welfare and Adoption Society of Ottawa County, Oklahoma. We are a small group struggling to meet the needs of the animals in this area which, in addition to the economic crisis, has suffered three major natural disasters in the past three years plus a major man-made problem--the pollution and cave-ins resulting from extensive lead and zinc mining during the first half of the 20th Century. We are located in Miami, Oklahoma, which is nowhere near Florida!We are currently in the middle of major renovation of our facility. For the past year we have been housing animals in a facility with no provisions for housing animals, and doing our best to dispose of waste materials safely without the necessary plumbing and sewer connections. This is not only labor intensive, but makes it almost impossible to be sure that no disease organisms leave the premises. Working with the city of Miami, we hope to remedy this situation before next summer. We also need to remodel inside our building to enclose a surgical suite acceptable to the state Veterinary Association so that we can reopen our weekly reduced cost spay-neuter clinic.
During the first 8 months of this year we spayed or neutered over 500 animals that would not have been altered because owners could not afford the surgery, or because the animals fixed were feral cats in colonies being cared for by concerned citizens. In September we were required to close the clinic until the surgical area was enclosed in a separate room completely isolated from the rest of the Adoption Center. Since then we have had to transport animals to and from the veterinarian for the surgery, which greatly restricts the number of animals we can serve.
We feel strongly that the spay-neuter program is a vital part of our work, and the only way that progress can be made to correct the problem of homeless and unwanted animals. We are hopeful that after enclosing the surgical area and the area for animals awaiting and recovering from surgery, the investigator for the State Veterinary Association will allow us to reopen this critically needed facility.
Of course, all of these things cost money, and with adoptions down and surrenders up, we are struggling to make ends meet, like most businesses and individuals in these troubled economic times. We are applying for grants and several people with the necessary training have offered to donate their skills to help with the remodeling. Some materials have also been donated or obtained at reduced cost. Miami officials are also looking into possible solutions to the sewage problem and hopefully will be able to help us.
In the meantime, we have dogs that are suffering from the cold. While we have some dog houses, they are not fully enclosed, and many have been damaged by the dogs chewing on them, turning them over, jumping on them, etc. We have started a program to obtain sturdy enclosed dog houses, specifically K-9 Kondos. K-9 Kondo Each of these costs about $100, but the cost is going up December 15th, so we are hoping to purchase as many as possible before that date. Individuals or businesses who donate the funds to purchase one will be recognized by having their names or if they prefer the name of a loved one or pet inscribed on the Kondo.
If you would like to make a donation toward any of these projects, you can bring it by our Adoption Center at 501 E. Central in Miami, or mail it to Animal Welfare Society, 501 E. Central, Miami, OK 74354.
Who We Are
The Animal Welfare Society is a 501(c)3 not for profit organization, incorporated by the state of Oklahoma. Reorganized in 2003 from a humane group that was formed in the 1980's and had become inactive, we currently have a supporting membership of about 60 people, with about 15 who are active volunteers. We operated for five years without a facility of our own by helping at the city animal shelter, fostering animals, encouraging spay and neuter by providing $35 vouchers toward spaying or neutering animals adopted from the city shelter, and sponsoring reduced cost spay neuter clinics when possible.In June of 2008 we were able to rent a 2500 square foot building, formerly occupied by the Farmers' Coop, and subsequently contracted to buy the entire property which included an attached 2250 square foot metal building and gave us a total of 1/4 city block of land area. The building is not equipped to house animals, and we have been "making do" using chainlink kennels and wire crates we had obtained during the previous five years and building additional pens outside for dogs and cat enclosures inside for cats. Drainage and disposal of waste has always been a major problem and one that we must address without further delay.
We currently are housing about 50 dogs and 50 cats, which is over our capacity, and we are unable to take any more surrenders at the present time. Although we have the space to house more, we do not have the manpower to care for this many animals, and until the facility is remodeled and proper sewage disposal installed the space is not equipped to handle this many animals.
Our Mission: To work with the city of Miami, the Animal Control Officer, and area Veterinarians to reduce the number of abandoned and stray animals in Ottawa County by providing affordable spay and neuter services to the public, providing low cost adoption opportunities for these animals, and by educating the public about responsible pet ownership and humane treatment and necessary health care of animals.
Adopting a friend
Currently we are only open for adoptions on Thursdays from 1 to 6 pm and on Saturdays from noon to 4 pm. Although someone is almost always at our Adoption Center, we are usually too busy cleaning, feeding animals, and giving medications to show the animals and do adoptions on other days. If someone comes that is seriously interested in adopting an animal, and there is anyone available to help them, we will do adoptions at other times. We also will do adoptions by appointment for out-of-town individuals interested in adopting one of our animals. If you are interested in one of our animals, the best way to contact us is by email. There is an answering machine for the phone if no one is available to answer it, but emails will probably be answered before phone messages are. We will do out-of-state adoptions, but transportation costs will be the responsibility of the adopter. In some cases we may be willing to ship animals by air from Tulsa, OK or Springfield, Mo, but we try very hard to avoid this. We also can sometimes deliver animals by car all or part way to their destinations. Our application is only one page, and we can email a copy to you, if your computer is equipped with Microsoft Word or you can fill it out when you come to the Adoption Center to adopt. We have fewer requirements than some groups because we have so many animals needing homes. We do not require home visits unless we have reason to think there may be a problem. We are most interested in whether you understand the responsibilities of pet ownership and have the time and resources needed to adopt a four-legged "child" into your family.We also require all pets adopted from us that are 3 months old or older to be spayed or neutered before being released to an adopter. If kittens or puppies too young to be altered are adopted the cost of the surgery is included in the adoption fee, and the animal must be brought back to the Adoption Center for the surgery when it is old enough. If the adopter lives too far away for this to be feasable, a voucher worth $35 toward the cost of the surgery will be provided.
All animals also receive basic immunizations and are wormed and treated for fleas. Most also receive a Rabies Vaccination, and adult dogs are tested for Heartworm. Other tests will be done at the adopter's request with the cost added to the adoption fee.
Adoption fees start at $45 for cats and kittens, and $75 for dogs and puppies. Senior animals, and animals that have been at the center for a long period of time may usually be adopted at reduced cost, and certain breeds of dogs and cats that are in high demand are designated as "Special Angels" and may command higher fees which help pay for needed surgery and medications for sick or injured animals, and for the everyday feeding and care for animals that have to stay with us longer in order to find their forever homes.
Come Visit Us!
We are easy to find. From Interstate 44, take the Miami exit (#313) and proceed to the stoplight at Highway 10 intersection. Turn left (west) toward Miami and continue until you cross railroad tracks and come to the truck route (D Street). There is a stoplight at this corner. Turn right (north) onto the truck route and proceed to the first stoplight. This is Central Street. Turn right (East) and cross the railroad tracks and we are right there on your left.If you come into Miami from any other direction, follow the signs to the truck route, proceed to Central, and turn east across the railroad tracks.
Animal Welfare Society
501 East Central Ave.
Miami, OK 74354
Phone: 918-542-2129
Email: miamiaws@cableone.net
Click here for a list of pets at this shelter
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