-
Volunteers help load a plane with pets being relocated. Photo courtesy of Kathy Collier.
The Cordell Animal Shelter Project (CASP) will be holding a pet adoption event Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019, at Equity Bank in Cordell. During the event CASP will work to find adoptive families for rescued pets as well as recruit new volunteers to help with rescue operations and to provide foster homes for pets waiting for permanent homes.
CASP started in Cordell several years ago when a group at the Presbyterian Church decided to take action on Cordell’s growing homeless pet population. The group, originally known as Presby’s For Pets, officially became CASP in 2015 and is an IRS-approved 501(c)3 non-profit corporation.
The group’s primary mission, initially, was to rase enough money to build a permanent animal shelter in Cordell to help care for lost, abandoned, and neglected pets in the area. That mission has now expanded to include community education and working to relocate unwanted pets to other areas where they have a better chance of being adopted.
CASP coordinates with a number of pet rescue and adoption organizations around the region and around the country to help find permanent homes for abandoned or neglected dogs and cats. They work with individuals and organizations who transport pets by car or by private plane to other cities and states where there is a higher demand for rescued animals in order to help alleviate the strain on the local pound and to prevent the animals from being killed due to overpopulation in Cordell.
CASP has been very active in recent months working with both the Cordell Police Department and the Washita County Sheriff’s Office to remove and rehome pets in neglected or cruel circumstances. Several weeks ago they halped relocate more than a dozen cats from one home and just last week rescued 16 dogs from a situation in Dill City that resulted in felony animal cruelty charges against the owners.
When CASP rescues a pet, they take the animal to a local veterinary clinic for a check-up and for any treatment required. Harper Veterinary Clinic in Cordell has been providing services to CASP rescues at a significantly discounted rate, but the organization still needs to raise funds to help pay for the costs of care.
According to CASP volunteer Kathy Collier, CASP is focused on helping people be responsible and caring pet owners.
“CASP encourages responsible pet ownership,” she said. “Pet owners should provide veterinary care, food, water, shelter, and appropriate living conditions. CASP also strongly encourages people to spay and neuter their pets to help stop the overpopulation in this area and to make sure all pets are loved and cared for.”
The pet adoption event will open at 8:00 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019, and close at noon.