I rescued four animals within four semesters at OCU. I don’t catch these animals on purpose. They just show up.
Last year I was walking to the Caf, and a sweet dog decided to join me on my walk. A few months later, my friends and I found a dog lying in front of the elevators at midnight in Wanda L. Bass Music Center. Earlier this semester, we found a home for a tiny stray kitten. Only a few days ago, I was going to get my laundry when a pit bull puppy came running up to me, jumped on my lap and started licking my face.
Stray animals are a national issue. About 7.6 million animals are admitted to shelters every year, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. It is impossible to calculate how many animals are living on the streets, but, if you have ever walked around campus, you know the number in Oklahoma City is high. I have seen kittens living in dumpsters, and I have seen dogs hit by cars.
For an animal lover such as myself, when I see a stray, it becomes my life’s mission to rescue it. But that becomes problematic when I don’t have a car and animals are not allowed in campus housing. So, for my fellow animal lovers, I give you some advice if you suddenly find yourself with an adorable stray in your clutches.
Give the animal some food. Dogs can eat chicken and rice, and cats can eat chicken and tuna.
Take the animal to a shelter or clinic, and see if they are chipped. The Central Oklahoma Humane Society, 9300 N. May Ave. Suite 400-281 in Oklahoma City, will do this for free, and it is an easy way to track down the owners. Unfortunately, if they are not chipped, then the humane society cannot help.
If this is the case, try to find an owner another way. There are many Facebook pages and websites that allow you to post or register the found animal, thereby increasing the chances of reuniting the animal with its owner.
Find a friend off campus willing to house the animal for a few days while you find the owner or a no-kill shelter. It is imperative to me that I exhaust all of my options before I even consider giving the animal to a place where he or she may be euthanized.
Rescuing an animal without a car or the ability to house it is difficult, but it’s not impossible. Of the four animals I have rescued, the first dog was taken to a shelter, the second dog found its family, the kitty found a new home in Texas, and my sweet pit bull is living with a student off campus.
Absolutely worth it.
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