By Bailey Coyle, Fox23 News
OKLAHOMA CITY — A proposed Oklahoma law could soon give rural communities more options to address animal abandonment and overpopulation.
House Bill 3902 changes long-standing state requirements that limited which counties could operate their own animal shelters, a move advocates say is badly needed outside metro areas.
Under previous law, a county had to have a population of more than 200,000 residents to operate a county-run animal shelter. That threshold meant only a handful of Oklahoma counties qualified and most of those are largely covered by cities that already manage their own animal control services.
HB 3902 removes that population barrier, allowing smaller and rural counties to establish and operate animal shelters if they choose.
Supporters say the change gives counties the ability to enforce animal welfare laws locally and provide resources where few currently exist.
Lawrence Deperist, Director of Operations at the Humane Society of Tulsa, says the impact could be significant.
“I think it’s going to be a great thing to allow counties and rural populations in Oklahoma to house animals, enforce animal welfare regulations and laws, and make a difference for the citizens that live in those counties,” Deperist said.
He says many rural counties currently lack animal control departments or any facility to house abandoned animals.
Municipal shelters, like those in Tulsa and other cities, often cannot assist with animals found outside city limits. That leaves rural residents relying heavily on private rescues, many of which are already over capacity.
“All rescues across the state are bursting at the seams. We are overcapacity. We’re struggling,” Deperist said.
Because rescues operate largely on private donations, resources are even more limited in sparsely populated areas.
Deperist says the lack of enforcement in rural areas can contribute to animal dumping.
“If the shelters in the city are full, it’s real easy to go out into the county and dump that animal somewhere, and there’s no recourse for it,” he said.
Abandoned animals create more than just an animal welfare issue.
Unspayed and unneutered animals can breed, increasing stray populations. There are also concerns about:
- Spread of rabies and other diseases
- Parasites that can transfer to humans
- Animals interacting with wildlife
- Starvation and suffering
- Dogs running loose on roads, causing crashes
“These are domesticated animals,” Deperist said. “They’re not wolves. They don’t have the natural instinct to survive on their own.”
While bringing animals into shelters can be emotionally difficult, Deperist says it often leads to better outcomes.
Animals taken into shelters can be:
- Vaccinated
- Spayed or neutered
- Treated for illness or injury
- Placed for adoption
“The first step is getting them into a controlled environment where they can move through the process to finding new homes and better lives,” he said.
Advocates hope HB 3902 will give rural counties the tools they need to address long-standing gaps in animal services, helping both animals and the communities where they live.
State leaders say implementation will now depend on individual counties choosing to establish programs and funding operations locally.
