By Morgan Martin, Fox23 News
BIXBY, Okla. — A local animal rescue is in urgent need of foster families after dozens of dogs were dumped on a random rural property.
Rescue coordinators for Puppy Haven Rescue said time is everything in this situation, but they’ve only had a handful of foster families step up so far.
Diana Dacyczyn, the rescue’s volunteer coordinator, said a family living on a rural property near Tahlequah discovered more than 30 dogs dumped on their land.
So, they decided to reach out to Puppy Haven Rescue.
“Being in rescue is so rewarding, but it’s equally very difficult because you see some of the worst-case scenarios,” said Dacyczyn. “Going out there to try to help this family who’s just doing the best they can with the situation they didn’t ask for was really emotional.”
Dacyczyn said both the rescue and the family are in a tough spot.
“The gentleman there hugged me and had tears in his eyes when we brought him some food to try to help bridge this gap while we engage fosters, but then to drive away—it’s hard. It’s hard not to load up every animal I can in my own car.”
According to Dacyczyn, a situation where such a large number of dogs are left on a random property is fairly unusual.
“The largest are breeder surrender situations or when a shelter, a local community shelter, has to shut down. That’s usually when we see a large quantity, so this was surprising.”
Dacyczyn said the rescue was told at least two dogs had been shot by someone in the area.
“When it comes to some of the more rural areas, animals are managed in a very different mindset. When you as a property owner are seeing strays on your property, hopefully most are not inclined to behave that way, but that’s part of the risk we’re facing right now. That’s why it’s alarming and terrifying and putting a burden on an individual to try to contain.”
Dacyczyn said the rescue needs a miracle and for the community to help foster some of the dogs.
“In a perfect world, we’d have enough fosters for every single dog and we can get them all at once. If that’s not the case, then we have to go back and make a decision about which ones we can place and which ones we feel are the safest to leave or the least at risk.”
Like many rescues and shelters across Green Country, Puppy Haven said they simply don’t have enough space on their own.
“It’s devastating to see. It’s hard to know the burden on our entire community and our state. Where we’re stuck right now is just the massive quantity hitting us all at once.”
Dacyczyn explained that fosters do not have to pay any out-of-pocket expenses, including for medical care and food.
To access Puppy Haven Rescue’s foster application, click here.
To learn more about Puppy Haven, you can visit their website here.
