The Woodward News

Local News

October 5, 2012

WOOF Pet Rescue plans new location

Brandi Thomas Woodward News

Woodward, Okla. — WOOF Pet Rescue will soon be in its new location.

WOOF is a non-profit pet adoption center that is funded by public donations and all work is done by volunteers, with all the pets held in "foster" homes until they are adopted.

For several years, the organization has been mainly operated out of the home of the group's president Debbie Kinney.

Kinney has been known to foster several dogs at a time in her own back yard at 715 Walnut Ave., especially when there was nowhere else for the animals to go.  However it often meant she had more than the 2 dog limit allowed for most residents under city ordinances.  At times she has said she had as many as 16 dogs in her backyard.

Earlier this year some of her neighbors submitted complaints to the city about the number of dogs being kept in her yard.  Ever since the dog rescue has been looking to relocate.

Recently the dog rescue has acquired a piece of property in the Industrial Park off of Highway 270 and the city has given the rescue till Nov. 4 to move to the new location, Kinney said.

The move will allow WOOF to eventually expand its operations while offering a larger facility for housing the animals it serves.

Currently Kinney uses a small portable shed to house many of the animals in her backyard.  However, with the move to the new property, WOOF is looking to build a  new 40-pen building, she said.

Kinney said that the rescue has decided to go with local contractor Don Swanson for the design and building of the new building, which is based off of the ASPCA building in Enid.

"The new building will hold 40 kennels, along with a meet and greet area, a cat room and a wash room," said Toni Bowser, vice president of the dog rescue.

"I'm very excited about the cat room, this will allow the cats to be able to go outside, but still be protected from other animals that may try to get in with them," Bowser said.

Kinney said that all of the pens will be equipped with doggie doors that will allow the dogs to travel freely between indoors and outdoors during the day, and  to be locked in at night.

She also said that each pen will be equipped with its own sewer line for easy cleaning.

"We are looking for volunteers to help with the building and we have started selling our calendars, too," Bowser said.

The calendars feature pictures of rescued pets from all across the country, and WOOF will get a portion of each calendar sold.

Kinney said that after they get their current building moved to the new location, the organization will need help with fencing, laying water lines and mowing.

"When it comes time for the construction of the new building, we will need help with pouring concrete and any carpentry help would be a plus," she said.

Kinney said the framing costs for the new building will be around $24,000 and the length of time to get it built will depend solely on how quickly they can get the donations in to finance the cost.

Both Kinney and Bowser said that the new facility will have to be built in phases as funding becomes available.

"It will be a multi-phase process but we will keep plugging away until we get it all done," Bowser said.

However, WOOF recently received some help from a local portrait studio that will help the organization save on some of the expense related to feeding the dogs served by the rescue.

James Photography recently ran a promotion where they dropped the session fee when clients brought in at least a 20 pound bag of dog food.

On Wednesday, they presented WOOF with the 340 pounds of food that they raised through the promotion.

WOOF relies on donations like these from the public for its operations. If you would like to donate or are interested in volunteering your services for the building of the new facility, contact WOOF at (580) 334-6039.

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