OkcPets Magazine November 2022

14 OKC Pets • November / December 2022 Collaboration Helps 405 Animal Rescue Reach Goal by Kelsey Warren-Bryant Photos courtesy of 405 Animal Rescue I n April 2020, while the rest of the world was shutting down in the COVID pandemic, Oklahoma animal shelters stayed just as busy as ever. Between being overpopulated and understaffed, many shelters could not make room in their facilities to save other animals with- out resorting to euthanasia. Often faced with a choice between euthanasia of longer-term residents or leaving other animals on the streets, animal shelters had to make some tough calls. Alyssa Kitsmiller and Sydney Lee, founders of 405 Animal Rescue in Okla- homa City, longed to become part of the solution. “There’s a huge need with shelters being overwhelmed,” Lee said in an interview. That’s how 405 Animal Rescue, cleverly named after Oklahoma’s 405 tele- phone area code, was born. In the two years since its founding, 405 Animal Rescue has grown to include 140 volunteers and foster parents and has approximately 60 adoptable dogs and 30 adoptable cats. Kitsmiller and Lee chose to make the rescue a foster-based organization. Al- though the difficulties of funding a space in a 100 percent not-for-profit organization were a consideration, there was more to their decision. Even animals with sweet temperaments can become “stir crazy” in a kennel environment and can exhibit anx- ious behaviors such as pacing, barking, or even being aggressive. Kitsmiller and Lee aimed to avoid that by putting animals in their care into safe, comfortable environ- ments where they can show well to poten- tial adopters and have the best chance to get a loving forever home someday. Although running a rescue is rewarding, it comes with its challenges. With operat- ing a Facebook group, managing fosters, responding to inquiries, reviewing adop- tion applications, and attending events, the rescue is a full-time job. “It’s 24/7 on call,” Kitsmiller said. “Even our work has to be flexible with what the rescue requires.” In spite of this, staff and volunteers at 405 Animal Rescue have rescued about 1,500 dogs and cats in the Oklahoma City metro since the start two years ago. A Thorough Adoption Process Potential adopters can expect several steps from 405 Animal Rescue. A potential adopter should fill out an online applica- tion and provide a list of referrals. Once the rescue has conducted a background check and contacted references, a meet- and-greet session with the dog or cat of interest is scheduled. Adopters can expect the process to last one to two weeks. Because of its requirements, 405 cannot do same-day adoptions. Although this requires more effort and time, 405 Animal Rescue has a good reason for its methods. A longer adoption Justina Grace, operations director of 405 Animal Rescue, and lovable rescue dog Buster Brown meet children at Beacon School. Finding Love