Skiatook Animal Shelter Needs Help With Overcrowded Shelter

Many local animal rescues are struggling with the high number of dogs or cats that need help and a forever home.

An overcrowded shelter and expensive bills are just a few of the problems Skiatook Paws and Claws Animal Rescue is having right now.

Skiatook Paws and Claws Animal Rescue has been an active rescue since 2013 and an official non-profit for the last five years.

Paige Bodden, board member for Skiatook Paws and Claws Animal Rescue, said the animal rescue has seen a dip in adoptions and donations. She said this is a big deal because the rescue is a non-profit. These issues are causing them to struggle to pay off their debt.

"A lot of times we can recoup this by people adopting and the adoption fees help us compensate a little bit for what we've spent. Adoptions have been slow," Bodden said.

The rescue currently has around 300 animals. Bodden said adoptions usually pick up at the beginning of each school year, but things have changed.

Bodden believes the economy has a lot to do with the low adoption rates because people can't afford to take on another responsibility in their household.

"We accrue a lot of veterinary debt, and this tends to be kind of cyclical, and we're kind of in a slump right now where we've taken in a ton of medical cases and a ton of animals, and we own a lot of money. We have to make our way out of that debt before we commit to saving more animals," Bodden said.

Bodden said many people don't realize how much veterinary bills can cost for one animal. On top of the expensive vet bills, people have been illegally dropping off dogs at least once every month. She said the rescue is constantly putting forth more resources than they have.

"Here at Skiatook Paws and Claws we want to give every animal the best medical care and care in general to the best of our abilities and we don't want to have to make any decisions based on finances and we want to help as many as possible, " Bodden said.

Bodden said they are constantly looking for sponsors for their animals and the rescue is currently waiving adoption fees. She said some of the best ways to help the rescue are giving donations and considering spaying and neutering.

For more information on how you can adopt a dog or cat from the rescue contact Skiatook Paws and Claws Animal Rescue.