BIXBY, Okla. — Overcrowded animal shelters have been a persistent issue across Green Country, but in Bixby, the problem is simpler: the city does not have a shelter.
That could soon change if an August bond passes,which includes money set aside for a new facility.
WATCH: Bixby Police, residents asking for animal shelter
For years, Bixby's makeshift animal shelter was located at Horizon Animal Hospital until space became a problem. Amanda Newman, who has worked at the hospital for over a decade, said the issue has only gotten worse since 2017 when the hospital first stepped up to help.
"It outgrew us, and it broke our hearts. We didn't want to give it up, but there was just nowhere else to put them," Newman said.
"It is a problem. We need a building to house them," Newman said.
Bixby Police Chief Todd Blish sees the need firsthand.
"We get calls about stray animals every day. Not only stray animals, but we also get calls about people wanting to surrender their animals," Blish said.
Currently, officers have to drive animals to facilities in other cities, such as Coweta.
"That's taking officers off the street, or animal control officers out of the city. Having to drive to other communities to deliver the animals, which removes assets from the city that citizens are paying for," Blish said.
A new shelter funded by the August 25 bond would change that dynamic.
"The Bixby dogs could stay in Bixby, and we wouldn't overwhelm the other towns. People could claim their animals better," Newman said.
"We were told them we would get a shelter in Bixby, and we'd only have to hold them here for a few years. But it was longer than a few years," Newman said.
"In a city this size, we've reached a point to where it's necessary to keep our economic resources in town, and give our citizens some convenience in dealing with their fur babies," Blish said.
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