New Ordinance In Sand Springs Hopes To Curtail Citywide Problem

Sand Springs Animal Control is hoping a new city ordinance will help fight a problem plaguing the city.

Starting this month, all cats and dogs must be spayed or neutered.

The shelter says it should be common sense to spay and neuter, but not everyone agrees.

“It’s just crazy,” said Tracy Arvidson from the Sand Springs Animal Shelter.  “Everybody is full.  All the rescues are full.”

Animal Control has more than triple the usual number of animals.  There are normally 12 dogs and cats, but right now there are about 30 cats and 18 dogs locked in cages and crates.

Some are sleeping on top of refrigerators.  Every single kennel is taken, mostly by pit bull-types.

Arvidson says they are “probably the number one type dogs that have to be euthanized in shelters across the country right now.”

Rescue groups that work to get them to non-kill shelters out-of-state can’t even take them.

“We hate to have to put anything down, but sometimes that’s what it comes to and we run out of cage space.  That’s all we can do,” Arvidson said.

Last year, the shelter had to euthanize 33 dogs.

Animal Control is hoping a new city ordinance mandating all cats and dogs are spayed and neutered will help.

“We pushed for that really hard,” stated Arvidson.  “I know that it’s not a favorite for a lot of people.”

On Facebook, one person posted:  “How can enforcing them to be spayed or neutered be fair?”

Others said it shouldn’t be required, it should be a choice.

“We’ve had to put ordinances in place so that we can enforce that because we’re the ones that end up having to euthanize the excess of the animals,” said Arvidson.  “It’s just, it’s not fair to the animals.”

Animal Control hopes to make it statewide law to spay and neuter, but it can be tough for rural areas with fewer resources.

If you would like to adopt any of the animals at the shelter, information is available Here.