OkcPets Magazine January 2024

January / February 2024 • OKC Pets 31 Animals property. The buildings are antici- pated to be finished in April. “One thing that has been reinforced since we started is that the rural shelters around our rescue are very underresourced, and they do not have the support that they need,” said Samantha Burnett, senior di- rector of special projects at Nexus Animals. Nexus Pets is partnering with shelters in Chickasha, Blanchard, Tuttle, El Reno, Yukon, Mustang, and Carnegie. Spaying and neutering are the most heavily used services that Nexus provides for the shel- ters and the communities. Many shelters are not able to perform basic health care for the animals when they are placed, which affects the health of the entire animal community being housed at the shelter. Another service that Nexus Pets has started to provide is transporting animals to shelters in other states that are in need of animals to adopt out. Nexus has completed several transports to the Wisconsin Humane Society, which needs large-breed dogs. “Our partner in Wisconsin Humane will take large-breed puppies, which is the hardest population to place in Oklahoma. It takes them longer to be adopted. The average length of stay for the Wisconsin Humane adoption program is seven days,” said Burnett. Findings Home for Rescued Animals Hoch emphasized that Nexus Animals is not a sanctuary, and its goal is to find good homes for all the animals in its care. To keep animals with their owners, Nexus also tries to support owned animals in the community by helping those animals stay happy and healthy at home. “Sometimes owners have fallen on hard life situations, and they need help. It’s so rewarding to see pet parents so happy that they are able to do this for their animals. You see how much love they have, and it does not matter what their income is because it does not affect their capacity to care,” Burnett said. Nexus Animals is funded solely on donations, but there are several ways for people to make an impact. Nexus also ac- cepts donations of food and other pet and equine items and welcomes people who would like to volunteer their time. “We have the knowledge and the back- ground and the skills to know how to be impactful, and we recognize the voids that are out there,” Hoch said. “And we know that there are a lot of other organizations working hard out there, doing their part. And for us, especially with where we are located, we want to fill some of those gaps so the dogs and cats have a better opportu- nity to be adopted.” To learn more about the Nexus Animals programs and volunteer opportunities, visit https://nexusequine.org. Violet is shown during transfer from a local shelter for rehabilitation by Nexus Pets. Photo courtesy of Nexus Pets. A few weeks into her treatment provided by Nexus Pets, Violet is much improved. Photo courtesy of Nexus Pets. This artist’s rendering shows one of the two facilities being built to house Nexus Pets. Image courtesy of Nexus Pets.