1 in 600: Help them beat the odds

If there was a game where you had to bet everything you had and there was only a 1 in 600 chance you would win, would you play?
What if you didn't have a choice? When a Pit Bull is born in America, he or she is instantly entered into a world where, statistically, only 1 in 600 Pit Bulls find a forever home.
Help change these statistics. Have your Pit Bulls fixed- the puppies in shelters don't need the competition! Don't buy your next Pittie, adopt your next Pit Bull from a shelter or rescue group. When you consider your next dog, don't shy away from a dog just because it has Pit Bull in it. If you have a Pit Bull, train and socialize him and make him a good ambassador for the breed.

Chuck Norris a Pit Bull puppy at Stillwater Animal Welfare waiting for a home

Come into the shelter and meet some of our great Pitties!

Happy Animals

Volunteers socializing kittens

One of our favorite compliments at the Humane Society is "All of the animals seem so happy!"
We think that keeping the animals happy while they wait for homes is important. We also think that happy animals have a better chance at getting adopted. Our caretakers help keep our animals happy by making sure all of their physical needs are met. We rely on our wonderful volunteers to see that the emotional and mental needs of our animals are met. We like every animal to have one on one time with a human every day. Petting, brushing, walking, training and playing with our animals are all things volunteers do to keep them happy. Busy days are every dog and cat's favorite!

Volunteers brushing one of our fluffy dogs

"Isn't it hard to let them go?"

A litter of my former fosters, on their way to the Humane Society to find new homes!

When people find out you foster, one of the first questions they will ask is "Is it hard to let them go?"
For every one of us, the answer is different. For me, the answer is no. I wasn't their forever home, I was just the bridge they needed to get from the situation they were in (one where they weren't adoptable) to a good situation where they can find a forever homes. I feel so lucky to be able to play that role! Plus, you know there is always another critter waiting for your help.. or in my case this time, a family of them. The day my last fosters left, Aurora and her litter of newborns came home with me.

Aurora and her babies, they will stay with me for the next 8 weeks.

The bottom line is if you are thinking about fostering, but the emotional aspect is holding you back, please consider all of the potential rewards of fostering and the joy it can bring you. Fostering can be hard work, but the satisfaction it will bring will be overwhelming!

Petco adoption day!

Two of our dogs at an adoption event. Both have found their forever homes.

This Saturday, August 29th, we are having another offsite adoption day at the Petco here in Stillwater. We are meeting at the shelter at 9:30 in the morning to pick up the dogs we will be bringing. We will stay at the shelter for a little while (not later than 1pm), introducing our dogs to people who may be interested in adopting and telling everyone about the Humane Society of Stillwater. Join us in helping these guys and gals find forever homes!

Volunteers at our booth in Petco.

Bring your whole dorm or club!

A group from Stout Hall took a group of dogs to Boomer Lake for some fun and socialization.

Want to get your dorm or club involved with some charity work in the community? We always appreciate large groups willing to help us with projects. If you are interested in getting your group involved, contact us and we will see what we can work out. From adoption events to fundraisers to trips to the park, there are lots of fun ways to help us out!

A group from Stout Hall held a Petco adoption event and Christmas fundraiser

Walk 'n Wag!

Our biggest fundraiser of the year is coming up next month on Sept 26th. Everyone is invited to participate in this exciting fundraiser! Participants recruit sponsors for their walk, and the highest dollar raisers in each of several age categories win exciting prizes! And best of all, this fundraiser allows us to continue to meet our mission of finding loving homes for cats and dogs in Stillwater.
Find the form for download at www.hspets.org or come to the shelter to pick one up.
If you want a dog to take to Walk N' Wag but don't own one, talk to us about borrowing one of our shelter dogs. They would love to go!

Your pets need ID!!

"He just had a bath" "She doesn't like collars" "He never leaves the front yard" "She's an indoor only cat!"

There is no good excuse for your pet to be caught with no form of identification. Many dogs and cats come into Stillwater Animal Welfare with cutesy collars, flea collars and some cats even come with cute little bell collars. But none of these help bring your pet home!
Keep an ID tag on your dog. It needs to have a number we can reach you at at any time. If you use your cell phone and seldom answer the home phone, put the cell number on there. If you are difficult to reach, put a second number on there as well, maybe a good friend or reliable neighbor. Your dog also needs to be wearing a current rabies tag. If you absolutely cannot keep a tag on your dog, write your number legibly in permanent marker on the collar.
Some people are not comfortable keeping collars on cats. This doesn't mean your cat gets to get away with traveling sans ID! Ask your vet about microchipping your pet as a form of permanent ID. Keep the information current, and have your vet scan your pet at every check up to make sure the chip still works. Strays are scanned for microchips when they are turned in to Animal Welfare.

We want your pet to get back where it belongs- your house.
So from all of us at Stillwater Animal Welfare and the Humane Society of Stillwater, get some ID on those precious pets!

Taking your work home...

When you work at the Humane Society of Stillwater, you often can't help but take your work home! Not that it is a bad thing... These 6 sweethearts are staying at my house until they weigh enough (2 pounds) to be spayed or neutered and adopted into new homes.

Donate a Kuranda bed for cats!

"Why do the dogs get all the nice stuff?"

Our dogs have great Kuranda beds, but the kitties have been left out..
Living in stainless steel cages can be hard on the cats. We all know a cat's favorite thing is a soft place to sleep!
This is what the company has to say about the bed
"The new Kunranda Cat Bed provides the same raised, orthopedic comfort as the dog bed, but the size was especially designed to fit into cat cages. The additional level increases floor space as well as gives the cat the opportunity to jump up and view the world from his/her raised perch. The long legs of the bed accommodate a litter pan underneath the bed. As with our dog beds, the PVC frame and solid vinyl fabric is non porous and can be fully sanitized with bleach or disinfectant making them a good choice for community cat rooms as well."

After having such great success with the dog beds, we believe them! We don't have any of the Kuranda cat beds at the shelter yet.. be the first to donate one! It is only 31 dollars for a bed that will last as years and provide a soft place to rest for countless kitties while they wait for their forever homes. You can donate through the site, and they will deliver them to us!
http://kuranda.com/cat-bed/


Georgie and Topher enjoying their bed during their stay with us.

Long distance adoptions

Beautiful Avery is living the life of luxury in Tennessee.

A question we are often asked is "Do you adopt out of state?". The answer is "Absolutely!". Now, there are some limitations to what we can do.. we cannot hold a very adoptable puppy or kitten for weeks while you arrange to get down here, we cannot get in a car and drive the animal to you and we generally aren't comfortable putting our critters on a plane (if circumstances are special, we may reconsider this one). But if you can drive down here and meet the animal and adopt them, then there are no limits to how far away we will adopt. Some of our animals have found great homes through long distance adoptions! So if you have fallen in love with one of our critters but live outside of the great state of Oklahoma, give us a call anyway!

Goblin's new mom drove from Iowa to take him home.

Welcome back!

Cameo, our longest term dog, found a home on Saturday!

Welcome back to everyone who just came back to Stilly! We missed you!
We had a great weekend, sending home 8 animals on Saturday and 3 on Sunday. We still have plenty of critters who need homes and attention while they wait for homes, so please come in!



Koala found her forever family this weekend.

Featured pet: Huxley

When Huxley came to us, he was quite the handful! He had never been on a leash before. We had to walk him on a metal leash because he would bite through a leash and run away. He had never even worn a collar and had no idea what it was like to be a pet.


We thought progress would be slow.. but Huxley has surprised us all!! He is making great strides in learning how to be a pet, and is just turning into a fabulous dog all around. He walks well on a leash. He thrives on human attention and praise. He will sit quietly for hours if you give him something really good to chew on. He wants a new owner who will give him plenty of love, training and exercise.. give this boy a chance to impress you, and he will!

Featured pet: Patriot

Patriot is a 5 month old black kitten who feels like he is getting lost in a sea of black kitties! He has a great personality. He is adventurous and has a great sense of humor. Here is a great video of Patriot playing in the sink!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q8VN1EbWVc

Featured pet: Tippy

Tippy is a Red Heeler who is almost 2 years old. She was surrendered due to her owner's failing health. When she came into the shelter, she was given Ivermectin, a general dewormer. Unfortunealty, Tippy has a gene mutation that makes her Ivermectin sensitive. She had a very bad reaction and almost died. While she was recovering, it was found that her last owner had failed to care for her properly and she was heartworm positive. So poor Tippy, after her rough recovery from her Ivermectin reaction, still had a month of painful treatment to go through.

Tippy is all done with her treatment now and is completely healthy. She does not like other dogs at the shelter, but does like some dogs (selective) outside of the shelter setting. She wants to be with her people all of the time! Since she is Ivermectin sensitive, her new owner will have to use caution in deciding which medications are safe for her. A link with more information: http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts-VCPL/drugs.aspx

Featured pet: Fatima

Fatima is our longest term cat at the shelter. We don't know why it has taken her so long to get adopted, but she gets passed by time after time.

The longer a cat lives at the shelter, the less likely it is to go up to potential adopters and really 'sell' his or herself. Fatima lives in our playroom and has probably lived there longer than any home in her short life- she thinks the shelter is her 'forever home'. We want to see this girl out of the shelter and in a real home with a real owner ASAP!

Because we are so eager to see her live happily ever after, we have waived her adoption fee. Fatima is free to the right home.

Featured pets: Black kittens!

Both of Morgana's colorful littermates have been adopted, but she is constantly overlooked.

It is kitten season! And are cages are beyond full of these sweet baby kitties. Inevitably, when there is a surplus of kittens it is the black kittens who get left beyond. I promise you, they are just as cuddly, playful and lovable as their colorful peers.


The pointed sister has been adopted, but the three black siblings (Patriot, Liberty, July) have been waiting for over a month with no interest.


Snape is a great kitten who hopes someone realizes black cats can be great luck!

Chelsea is eager for a family.

So come in and adopt a black kitten!

Featured pet: Bones

Bones is a dog who is difficult to find a home for due to her breed, size and energy level. She is a large, young, hound dog with lots of energy and the characteristic hound dog bay.

Bones was about 5 to 6 months old when she came to us in May 2009. She looks like a mini bluetick hound. She acts and looks all hound dog! She loves to play with other dogs. She also really likes to go to the lake and splash around in the shallow parts. She is full of energy, and would be an excellent jogging companion or buddy for another high energy dog (or kid!).

Sunday Featured Pet: Heather

Some cats at the shelter run right out to greet visitors, rubbing against legs and purring. And then there are cats like Heather. Heather was someone's pet. We don't know what happened, but Heather somehow ended up homeless. Heather doesn't like being homeless, life in the shelter is too chaotic and scary for her. She wants a quiet apartment or house where she can curl up on your bed while you sleep, or curl up in a sunny windowsill. When Heather is at the shelter, hiding in a corner, it is hard to imagine her as a loving pet. Heather is just waiting for someone to realize her potential and that shy cats can turn into great pets!

Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Day is August 12th!

One of the first questions new volunteers ask is "How long does it usually take for a pet to get adopted?". There isn't a good answer to that question because it varies so much from animal to animal. An animal that is highly 'desirable' will have a flurry of emails, phone calls and visitors as soon as it is made available and go home within a day or two. We wish all of our great animals had interest like that- they all deserve it! But sadly, some of our animals go weeks or even months without any interest. In recognition of those animals, August 12th is Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Day. What is a less adoptable pet? When polled, shelters and rescues responded that the following are most difficult to place:
30% -senior/older pets
15% - pets with medical problems
13% - victims of breed prejudice
10% - shy pets
10% - those who need to be the only pet

Next time you are looking for a new pet, please consider our pets that follow into one of these 'less adoptable' categories.
For the first 12 days of August, this blog will highlight some of our great 'less adoptable' pets waiting for homes.