When we were finalizing our #30for30 non-profit highlights for #30DaysOfChange, we knew we wanted to highlight our local animal shelters. But picking just one became impossible. That’s why for our second #30for30 non-profit, we're giving the spotlight to as many animal shelters and adoption agencies in Oklahoma as we can. With so many deserving organizations and animals in our city and state, we believe if, we can make a huge impact. We might be barking mad, but we’re still going to try!
We want to share some of our adopted fur-babies’ stories with you and encourage you to share your family’s story with us on our Facebook event page.
Introducing our adopted fur family:
Meet Delilah Gann!
Gotcha Date: November 18, 2018
Shelter: OK Humane Society
My sister’s roommate was at the Humane Society looking for a cat to adopt. My sister called to say that I had to come meet this puppy and I thought, “yeah, okay I’ll go play with a dog for a few minutes – no big deal." I met her and within half an hour we were signing adoption papers and taking her home. Best birthday present I ever bought myself. She’s goofy, smart, talkative and has taught me so much patience and given us so much love. She’s our special little girl. – Whitney Gann, Integrated Project Manager
Meet Hudson Harriman!
Gotcha Day: February 25, 2020
Shelter: Country Roads Animal Rescue
It was total impulse. I started looking “for fun” on the Country Roads Animal Rescue website and came across his sweet little face and knew immediately he was meant to join our family. Someone had thrown him in a dumpster and thanks to his loud little bark he was found by a rescue angel and taken to Country Roads. He was only 6 weeks old when he was dumped, and we officially adopted him at 8 weeks. I could talk for days about how he has changed our lives - especially during the pandemic. He is the sweetest, most empathetic, attentive, intuitive, smart, playful, loving best friend we could have asked for. He has brought an immense amount of joy and companionship to our family. His intuition has come into play a few times when his fur sister Aspen, who suffers from epilepsy, has had a seizure in the middle of night. He jumps and barks at us until he wakes us up and runs to help her and lay with her. He has wise old man eyes and an old, caring soul inside his energetic 9-month old body. Country Roads Animal Rescue does an amazing job rescuing abandoned/neglected pups and I highly recommend them. – Renee Harriman, Vice President, Media
Meet Beau Tower!
Gotcha Day: April 13, 2017
Shelter: Safe Haven Animal Rescue
When I decided to adopt, I was originally supposed to get a different dog. It fell through at the last minute and I was devastated. However, everything happens for a reason because then I found Beau. He is sweet and smart and weird. I couldn’t imagine a dog I could love more! – Elizabeth Tower, Senior Media Buyer/Analyst
Meet Rescue Coplen!
Gotcha Day: October 5th, 2018
Shelter: Enid SPCA
“Rescue came to Enid SPCA not expected to survive due to contracting parvo. She did survive though, thanks to Enid SPCA’s parvo ward, and is now healthy and happy in her forever home. – Janet Coplen, Senior HR Consulting Partner
Meet Sampson Repola!
Gotcha Day: September 29, 2019
We had been looking for a rescue Goldendoodle for quite some time, following social pages and watching other sites closely. Every time a pup/dog came up, there were so many replies we would never even hear back. After several months of this, we were becoming pretty resigned.
I travel to NWA pretty regularly for open water dive certifications and I was pulling into Rodgers for gas on Friday evening, and there was a young college student already pumping gas. As I was paying to start the pump, up popped a cute little furry head in the passenger window. I did the whole aww… how cute routine, and he asked if I wanted to buy him. When I asked what kind of dog it was (I’m super allergic), you can imagine how floored I was when he replied Goldendoodle. No questions asked… done deal!
The best part is, every couple of months I get a text asking how he’s doing from the folks who couldn’t keep him, they truly love him, but were wise enough to realize it wasn’t working out. – Robbie Repola, Creative Producer
Meet Piper Perry!
Gotcha Day: April 3, 2020
Shelter: Lab Rescue OK
She’s our little quarantine pup! She’s a black lab & about 10 months old now.
They say she was found roaming alone and ended up at a kill shelter in Oklahoma, and she was 24 hours away from being put down before Lab Rescue picked her up.
Piper is spunky, wild, can jump ridiculously high, and loves to swim in the lake! She is also the most sweet, cuddly pup and loves to snuggle. She’s been the perfect addition to our little family and is besties with our other dog, Sadie! – Reagan Perry, Project Manager
We also couldn’t limit ourselves to just pups! Meet some of VI’s favorite felines.
Meet Charlie, Lucy and Pepper Jolliff!
Date: 2015
Shelter: Humane Society of Stillwater
I had always had cats growing up and wanted some pets of my own, so I headed to the Humane Society of Stillwater. Charlie and Lucy are siblings and were the only kittens left to adopt that day so of course I couldn’t just adopt one! About 3 years later, my husband and I went with our friends to adopt their cat. We ended up holding Pepper and it was game over. – Madison Jolliff, Integrated Project Manager
(from left to right: Pepper, Charlie, & Lucy)
Meet Luna Roberts!
Gotcha Day: November, 2019
Luna showed up in my backyard sometime in the summer of 2018. She’d stop by every once in a while, for a snack and a hug, and then head out to wherever home was at the time. I joked for a long time that I had a “part time cat”, but in November of 2019, she began coming over to stay for longer periods of time and it became clear she had been abandoned, or at least didn’t have a home anymore. I let her come inside to sleep one cold night and she hasn’t left the yard since.
Luna is bossy, loves hugs, drinking water fresh from the faucet and talking back. She’s super clumsy for a cat and if I can’t find her, I know she’s hiding in the garden, watching the bugs, birds and squirrels.... just watching, she’s too lazy to chase them. I definitely wasn’t looking for a fur-baby, but I am beyond thankful she picked me to adopt as her human. She brings so much joy and love to my life, and I can’t imagine how I lived without her before. – Leah Roberts, Content Strategist
Happy Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog (or cat!) Month! #30DaysofChange
