Thanks to a surge in summertime adoptions in Oklahoma City, the city’s Animal Shelter will receive a $6,000 grant from the ASPCA Rachael Ray 100k Challenge to help fund future adoption events.

Ray, a celebrity chef and television personality, challenged animal shelters across the country to find homes for more pets in June, July and August of 2014 than the previous summer. The Oklahoma City Animal Shelter had 3,792 adoptions during the challenge – nearly 900 more than in 2013 – to earn the grant.

The shelter uses a variety of events each year to help promote adoptions. The grant will help make more adoption events possible, leading to many more pets finding homes.

“We’re going to hold a big adoption event in the spring with part of the grant,” said Jon Gary, the shelter’s acting superintendent. “We need advertising and pet crates and other things for the animals, so this will help a lot of animals find new homes.”

The shelter was one of 50 across the country competing in the challenge, finishing in fourth place in its division and fifth overall.

The Oklahoma City Animal Shelter is open for adoptions from noon to 5:45 p.m. every day except holidays at SE 29 and Bryant Avenue, 1.5 miles east of Interstate 35. Adoptable pets can be viewed online at http://www.okc.gov/animalwelfare/adoption.html. All adoptable animals at the shelter are sterilized, vaccinated and treated for fleas and ticks.

Media Contact:  Kristy Yager
297-2550 / 863-2831 (cell)
Kristy.yager@okc.gov