Animal shelter closed after uproar

By ADAM CATLIN
NHJ Editor

Where do all the stray animals go in Newkirk after they are picked up? Last week, that answer was revealed when pictures of the inside of the old hangar building at the Newkirk Country Club were posted online.
It showed a floor covered with trash and feces surrounding several pins. One of the pictures also showed a black dog drinking from a cooler. There are also not many windows in the room, leaving questions as to how much air is actually coming in for the animals that are kept there.
The pictures were taken by two individuals who did not wish to be identified, who were in the area and were able to see through the door.
Newkirk City Manager Jane Thomas was not happy with the pictures after she saw them on social media last Tuesday evening.
“This facility is closed until further notice and will not be used until it is a safe, humane and proper care facility to house dogs or unless other facilities are found,” Thomas said. “This will not be tolerated at all.”
Thomas also revealed that as of last week’s photo release, the city no longer has an animal control officer.
Reaction to the photos online was strong with many voicing their anger at the conditions seen in the pictures.
The issue of the city’s handling of animal control has been discussed and debated a great deal in the past few years. The topic was discussed among city commissioner candidates at their forum just before the April 7 election.
Richard Brown, one of the commissioner candidates, agreed that it was an issue. He said there is no place to take the dogs and cats they pick up. “It’s a funding problem that needs to be addressed.”
Former City Commissioner Robert Capone admitted that the city has long had an issue with stray dogs and cats. He referred to Newkirk as ‘Cat City.’ He claimed he has no issue with strays, but with people that allow their pets numerous times to get loose.
Capone said believes that after fining them a second and third time, a lien should be put on their property if they can’t pay the fine. He said this situation is not the animal’s fault.
Krystal Newman, who won the election and will fill Seat 1 on the commission, said she sees this issue on Facebook every single day. She claimed she is not an animal person, but said it’s not OK to euthanize.
“Animal owners should be held responsible.”
She pointed to local efforts to have feral cats fixed and released and said there should be more of that.
The issue bubbled up two years ago when Mayor Kelli Johnson addressed the issue of animal control in Newkirk.
“It has been an issue for the public, as well as the city, for many months,” she said. “Social media pages are often filled day by day with reports of dogs running loose.”
At that time, Newkirk Police Department Chief Kevin Main revealed that the city had no animal control officer. He said that animals taken in by the city were transported out to the old hangar building at the Newkirk Country Club.
He added that there were no current means of isolating them. He also revealed that at times there have been as many as 14 dogs kept out there. He said he had worked with various shelters throughout Oklahoma to find room for them.
Main on Monday said that as of Monday evening, there were no dogs being held out there.
Two year ago, commissioner Robert Capone asked if the building kept cool enough with only fans being run. Main replied that the building was somewhat climate controlled. He also mentioned the need for a water line to be installed at the hanger. Officers have been walking in containers of water being filled at another location.
Since then, a water line was confirmed to be running to that building.