History
The Tulsa Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was founded in 1913 by a group of Tulsa citizens concerned about homeless dogs and cats who also wanted to protect against abuse of draft animals used to do heavy work on farms, in mines and on oil fields. The structure that houses the current shelter was built in 1931. In 1949, the Tulsa SPCA was incorporated as a non-profit organization and since that time has been governed by a board of directors.
In 1991, the Tulsa SPCA hired a cruelty investigator, the first and only in Oklahoma. In 1992, the foster pet, pet therapy and dog training programs were developed. The current vet clinic was built in 1994. We launched our Mobile Adoption Center in 2005 and in 2013, the Tulsa SCPA celebrated its 100th Anniversary! 2017 welcomed a milestone with more than 1,000 animals adopted in a year!
Who We Are
Our Mission: “To improve the lives of dogs and cats, and their human companions.”
Our Vision: “By 2026, through community engagement, the rate at which dogs and cats in the Tulsa area are abandoned, neglected or unnecessarily euthanized will be reduced.”
Our Core Values:
- Animals: We value animals and believe that they deserve love, safety, and humane care. We provide safe, transitional shelter and medical care to animals.
- Human/Animal Bond: We believe a correlation exists between humane treatment of animals and kind treatment of humans. Animals give unconditional love and acceptance, resulting in improved psychological and physical well-being for both. We make every attempt to facilitate this special bond through placements, community events and programs.
- Community Education: We believe educating the community on animal issues and proper care is key to improving animal welfare. We take advantage of every opportunity to provide resources, training, and information to the community.
- Advocacy: We believe animals deserve a strong voice in their defense. Reports of animal issues are investigated and solutions and resources are provided as necessary.
- Collaboration: We support a culture of mutual respect as we strive towards common goals.
- Optimizing Impact: In order to serve the greatest number of animals possible, we will adhere to our intake policy. Furthermore, we do not euthanize adoptable animals due to time or space limitations.
- Stewardship: The community plays a vital role in organizational sustainability through financial support, rescue and adoption efforts. We manage and allocate resources to remain steadfast to our mission, achieve the greatest good, and ensure our future.
The Tulsa SPCA is considered a managed-intake shelter. That means we are able to make intake decisions based on things like available space, suitability for our housing options and other factors. We would be considered, by those who use the term, a “no-kill” shelter.
With regard to the description of shelters, we advocate for use of the terms managed admission and open admission because to use the term “no-kill” implies we don’t “kill” animals but other shelters do. The sad reality is government shelters are required to take in surrendered, injured or at-large animals and because of space limitations must sometimes euthanize in order to make room for new arrivals. The decision to euthanize an animal is heartbreaking for anyone but especially for those who chose to work in an animal welfare organization and even more so when you have to make the decision due to space constraints. The difficult decisions they have to make are a result of poor decisions by pet owners in the community not poor decisions by employees carrying out their legal obligations. If there was no pet overpopulation issue due to failure of owners to spay and neuter their animals, or if animals weren’t abandoned, left unattended or unidentifiable (no microchip or tag), the numbers coming into shelters would be manageable and not require those heartbreaking decisions.
The reality is, the Tulsa SPCA also has to euthanize animals, but thankfully never for space. We are committed to making sure our community is safe and so we will not adopt out a dog or cat we determine is dangerous. We are also committed to making sure dogs and cats in our care do not suffer unnecessarily and so will humanely euthanize for untreatable medical conditions which are causing suffering.
Outcomes
The Tulsa SPCA uses Asilomar Live Release Rate to highlight the number of animals who left our care with a live outcome (adoption, return to owner, etc.). We are pleased to report our 2022 live release rate was 98%!
Our progress in 2022:
- 1,554 Adoptions
- 6,162 Spay/Neuter Surgeries
- 18,932 Vaccinations
- 3,619 Microchips
- 1,656 Cruelty Investigations
- 24,985 Pounds of pet food distributed to those in need