Humane Society of Cherokee County

HSCC requires anyone that rescues an animal to actively try and find the owner of the animal for at least 7 days. So post the lost or found animal on Facebook in order to give an owner a chance to find their pet. Many people think every dog running down the road is a stray or has been dumped. That is not the case since there are no leash laws in Cherokee County. We have reunited many pets with owners from our Facebook postings. TIPS – TO HELP YOU FIND A GOOD HOME FOR AN ANIMAL or if lost or found locating its owner.

1. Tell others about the animal. Sometimes word-of-mouth works best and post on all the free to good home Facebook sites. Plus Rehome.adoptapet.com.

2. Get the animal spayed or neutered and current on vaccinations.

3. Email information and a picture of the animal to the HSCC at [email protected] and we will try to help you find a home for the pet. If lost or found, please include when and where it was found or lost, and a contact phone #. Plus a good quality photo of the animal.

4. Contact the area Veterinary Clinics as shown below:
Dr. Elliott, 2255 W. Choctaw; Tahlequah; Phone 918.456.8281

Dr. Horn, 25352 HW 82, Park Hill; Phone 918.453.2655; Fax 918-453-0859; http://www.lakeside-vet.com/

Dr. Hobbs, 16031 Mud Valley Road, Tahlequah; Phone 918.456.5280

Tahlequah Animal Control - 918/456-1241

5. As a community service, the Tahlequah Daily Press provides a FREE TO A GOOD HOME ad for 3 days at NO COST to you. You can contact TDP at [email protected], or 106 W. 2nd Street, or 918.456.8833 and give them all the information on the pet (no pictures).

6. The Weekly Leader newspaper (918.458.8001) also offers free classified ads to individuals. Their email address is [email protected].

7. As a community service, Lakes Country 102.1 has a FREE TO A GOOD HOME section on the www.lakescountry1021.com animal’s page. Send a picture of the pet and information (include all the good points about the animal - spayed/neutered? good with dogs? kids? cats? housetrained? knows commands? etc.) along with your name and phone number and/or email address, to [email protected], Lakes Country 102.1, 5686 S. Muskogee, Tahlequah, OK 74464.

8. Call Tradewinds on Classic Country KTLQ 1350 [phone 918.431.1350] Monday - Saturday 8:30-9:00 AM and talk about the animal on the air or email the info to [email protected].

9. If the animal appears to be a certain breed, search online for breed specific rescue groups and notify the ones in Oklahoma and surrounding states. Breed specific rescues are very helpful in placing their breeds. A donation is not always required but is appreciated.

!!CAUTION!! If the animal is not “fixed” we urge you to have that done first for the animal’s safety and if possible, we will help you. Please check the SPAY/NEUTER button on our web page for options. Before you let a pet go to a stranger, (1) write down the name, address and phone # – even ask to see the driver’s license (2) ask where the pet will be kept and if they can provide vet care (3) ask if you can come by later to visit the pet (4) if in doubt, drive by the address in advance or check the area on http://www.vpike.com. If you feel uncomfortable with the person at any point, there is probably a good reason! Some people want animals for bad reasons. Oklahoma is a haven for puppy mills, dog dealers and brokers who sell to medical labs. We suspect that many animals are acquired or stolen for these purposes. If you list a pet online, we suggest you (1) create a secondary email address through YAHOO or HOTMAIL (2) charge a fee for the animal (3) mention in your ad that you WILL NOT SHIP this pet and that only locations within traveling distance need apply. This Best Friends link provides valuable information on posting pets online and taking pictures - http://www.bestfriends.org/archives/forums/online.html. Everyone with the Humane Society sincerely wishes that we had room for every abandoned pet at the shelter. Our ultimate goal is to be able to take all surrenders but we cannot do this now and we must rely on the public to help resolve this community problem. It is important that you understand that the Humane Society is simply a small group of people – like you - who volunteer their time and money to help abandoned and abused animals. We work very hard but the need is much greater than we are able to meet. The HSCC is funded by donations, membership dues and fundraisers - we are NOT supported by tax dollars or any national shelter organizations. We are always looking for good volunteers.