Washington County SPCA Newsletter WINTER 2013 | Page 6

13 dogs and 11 cats loaded and ready to head back to Bartlesville Early Summer Storms Impact the WCSPCA The Washington County SPCA was on immediate standby to assist in Moore, OK after tornados left hundreds of homeless animals. A fter the tornados ripped through Moore, OK on May 20, 2013, animal shelters and rescues in the Greater Oklahoma City Area were absolutely flooded with homeless and displaced pets. In order to help those devastated by the storm, the shelters decided to hold any animals brought in from the tornado areas for at least 30 days in hopes that families could be reunited with their pets. The problem was that most of the shelters were already loaded with animals prior to the storm. In order to have room to provide care for those displaced by the storm, the shelters needed to move all those that weren’t involved in the bad weather out of their inventory. Despite budgetary constraints and a near full load at our shelter, management felt that any relief would be of help. Within two days of the tornadoes the Washington County SPCA reached out to Oklahoma City Animal Welfare. We put the proper paperwork in place and were ready to accept transfers of their existing animals if they needed help. A few days later we received a call asking for assistance. Early Monday morning, on their day off, Amber Farr and Dawnette Brady and a volunteer loaded up the van and trailer with extra supplies that had been collected at the shelter and headed to Oklahoma City. The shelter in Oklahoma City was bursting at the seams and still being inundated with animals found roaming the streets in the Moore area. Late that day, the WCSPCA team returned with 13 dogs and 11 cats - animals that would likely have been euthanized to free up space for the victims of the tornado. By the time they reached the shelter, the animals had been entered into the system via the shelter’s iPad and staff member, Harmoni Tate and a volunteer were waiting to help unload the animals. Reaching out to other communities in time of need is just another way that the Washington County SPCA serves Oklahoma.