During Whole Hawg Days and National Night Out the volunteer group Paws N Claws-Eufaula has pushed for residents to register their dogs to keep from paying a hefty fine if ever picked up by the Eufaula pound, which has now gotten a much needed upgrade.
“We only set up a few hours each day but we did 31 dog registrations and talked to a lot of people who lived in the county or in the surrounding areas to get registered if possible and definitely spay and neuter their animals,” Paws N Claws cofounder Lori Powell-Fells said. “People just don’t realize that if their pet gets picked up, without registration they will have to pay a pretty big fine to get them out of the pound. Plus if their pet has no collar or identification on them then they could possibly be rehomed because we didn’t know who the owner was even though we hold them for several days and post them as well on our Facebook page. We also gave away a few gift baskets and a 2-night stay for 2 dogs at Checotah Bark Resort.”
Winners of the prizes were: Kristi White, Debi Farnsworth, Richard Dabbs, Mindi Peters and Morgan Allen.
Since Eufaula hired back City Manager Jacob Foos, the Eufaula pound has seen a lot of transformation to include a new hire, Tala Whisenhunt who takes care of the animals and facility in the morning hours, new painted floors and walls, a new dog bathing station and a new mini refrigerator to keep shots and medication in for any pound pups that come in. Also the mower has been moved out of the facility and the dilapidating building has been torn down and cleared out of the fenced in yard area for the dogs.
“We want to give a BIG shout out to the new city manager, Jacob Foos! Jacob truly cares about the wellbeing of these pound dogs and you can tell,” Powell-Fells said. “He works closely with us to get the dogs adopted and he has also purchased several things for the pound including a new bathing station that was desperately needed. “Plus hiring Tala Whisenhunt to do animal control and help regularly at the pound has been AMAZING!
Everyone has worked so hard to give the pound a much needed facelift and we are even getting to add a few touches with pictures of our rescues adorning the walls.
“The city council has been in total support of all this and Tisha Morgan and Evelyn Gulley have taken a special interest in the pound as well, even volunteering at times and helping with registering dogs in city limits. Registration is free. So we really hope people will get on board and register their pets to help keep them safe. The City only picks up dogs inside city limits that are being a nuisance. We want people to understand that not all dogs are being a “nuisance” just because they are running at large. If they are healthy and not threatening anyone or anything tell them to ‘GO HOME’ rather than calling them in. However, if the dog is emaciated or doing something wrong then please make that call. We just want people to understand the process and know that if we can’t find these abandoned dogs a home then we have to follow policies and they could be put down.
“We are excited that Paws n Claws now has an agreement with the city now to be the exclusive adopting entity for the pound and we couldn’t be more happy with all the progress being made! We really can’t say enough about how big of a transformation this actually is and how appreciative we are with all the positive changes.
“It was so nice when our last rescue at the pound ‘Alice,’ a Great Pyrenees, got adopted by Mary and Jay Abbott from McAlester who also rescue animals and own a huge ranch. It made me proud of our facility, our organization and our followers, like Bryce McKinney who sponsored Alice’s pound fee. We really have stepped up and it makes all the difference.”
