TULSA, Okla. — A Tulsa woman is caring for two puppies after witnessing them being thrown from a vehicle on Sept. 6, just feet away from an animal shelter.
Tonya LeQuirn and her fiancé were enjoying their morning when they heard a thud outside their home. Security camera footage captured a car stopping momentarily before driving away.
WATCH: Tulsa woman rescues puppies
"My fiancé stepped out the front door, which kicked on the camera and caught the car leaving, and two little puppies poked up from the ditch," LeQuirn said.
The dogs were dumped across the street from LeQuirn's house, near the Tulsa Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Center.
"I don't understand how people could just throw animals away like they mean nothing, like they're just trash," LeQuirn said.
The puppies showed signs of neglect and abuse when LeQuirn found them.
"Their elbows are all scraped up. They were loaded with fleas. We had to pick wood ticks from between their toes. And one of them, you know, his hair is really thin, I think from all the bugs. But when I gave them their first flea bath, that water was just bloody," she said.
LeQuirn filed a police report and took the puppies to the SPCA for medical evaluation.
However, she decided to care for them herself rather than surrender them to the already overcrowded shelter system.
"I don't want them to go in the shelter. I know they're full, and we do have the room to take care of them," LeQuirn said.
According to the City of Tulsa, animal shelters are operating over capacity. The week of Sept. 1-7, shelters are 150% over capacity for dogs and 113% over capacity for cats, having taken in more than 150 animals.
The city announced weeks ago they are waiving adoption fees to create space. City Ordinance states that all animals over the age of six months must be spayed or neutered.
For more information on low-cost spaying and neutering, click Spay Oklahoma and Tulsa SPCA.
For low-cost vaccinations, SPCA has a list of costs and times:.
Location and HoursnThe Tulsa SPCA Clinic
2910 Mohawk Blvd.
Tulsa, OK 74110
Open every Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
(Closed for lunch from 12:30-1:30 p.m.)
Open the second Saturday of each month, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
(Closed for lunch from 12:30-1:30 p.m.)
All vaccinations are first-come, first-served.
Leashing Requirements: Please bring dogs in carriers or on leashes; cats in carriers.
Dogs & Puppies*
- Rabies 1 year = $10.00
- Rabies 3 year = $18.00
- DA2PPV (Distemper/Parvo) 1 year = $14.00
- DA2PPV (Distemper/Parvo) 3 year = $35.00
- DAPPV/Lepto = $18.00
- Bordetella (Intranasal) = $18.00
- Lepto = $14.00
- CIV = $35.00
Cats & Kittens*
- Rabies 1 year = $10.00
- Rabies 3 year = $18.00
- FVRCP (Upper Respiratory) 1 year = $14.00
- FVRCP (Upper Respiratory) 3 year = $35.00
- FeLV (Feline Leukemia) = $22.00
Other Services
- De-Worm
- Cats = $20.00
- Dogs = $12:00 – $24.00
- Feline Leukemia Test = $26.00
- Heartworm Test = $18.00
Microchip
- Microchip = $12
- ID Tag = $6
LeQuirn hopes to find forever homes for the puppies while raising awareness about alternatives to animal abandonment.
"If you're struggling with your animals, there are resources out there, there's shelters, there's always people willing to help you. You just have to reach out. Dumping an animal is never an option. It should never be an option," she said.
Anyone interested in adopting one of the puppies can contact the newsroom for more information.
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