Tulsa Animal Services is getting ready to pack up and move into a brand-new shelter, and staff are hoping to clear out as many animals as possible from the current, overcrowded facility before that happens. The agency has substantial work left to complete in the coming weeks as it transitions out of its long-overworked building on North Erie Avenue.
Deputy Director Colton Jones told News On 6 that the city has been planning this upgrade for years, and he hopes to empty the current facility as much as possible before the move. The agency, which is Tulsa's only municipal shelter, has been at capacity for more than a year, according to the outlet's report. Jones said some kennels for the new building remain on order and a handful of final touches are still pending.
A Building Stretched Past Its Limits
The scale of the overcrowding has been stark. The current facility was built to hold 150 to 175 animals, with several more housed outside, per the same report. Sherri Carrier, who spoke to News On 6 about conditions there, called the situation overwhelming. Dogs at the shelter are currently housed two to a kennel in one large room, and power outages at the building have sometimes forced staff to finish surgeries and other work by flashlight.
Those numbers tracked closely with what KJRH found over the summer, when the shelter reported having 326 dogs on hand against a stated maximum capacity of just 176. On July 18, the shelter said it had only three kennels open while operating well over capacity, and it listed 24 dogs as at-risk, with adoption or fostering needed by July 21 at 6 p.m. to avoid possible euthanasia. A separate KJRH report noted the shelter was over capacity by 89 dogs and inundated with kittens during kitten season, and that Tulsa Animal Services conducted 1,562 euthanizations the previous year.
What the New Shelter Will Offer
The replacement facility is rising on East 36th Street North, just west of Sheridan Road, at 5995 E. 36th St. N. — near the Tulsa Zoo — and will replace the current shelter at 3031 N. Erie Ave., according to the City of Tulsa. The $13.8 million project, funded through money approved by Tulsa voters, will span 24,125 square feet — 8,000 square feet larger than the current building — and include a clinic, surgery center, isolation rooms, an adoption area and office space, the city says.
The completed shelter is expected to include more than 300 kennels for dogs, cats and other animals. Rather than large shared rooms, the new facility will divide dogs into smaller 21-kennel pods, each with its own door to the outside, per News On 6's reporting. The design also calls for dedicated meet-and-greet rooms where potential adopters can visit with animals, kennel space intended to be less stressful for the animals housed there, a secure garage for animal-control officers to unload more safely, and backup generator power meant to prevent the kind of outages that have disrupted surgeries at the current site.
The city has said construction is expected to be complete by fall 2026, with a grand opening to follow. Jones told News On 6 he hopes the move itself will be finished by the end of the year, though he cautioned that the timeline remains fluid and the deadline could change.
Fundraising Totals Diverge in City Accounts
Beyond construction, the city has also been running a fundraising push called Progress for Paws for additional shelter features. The city's ground-breaking announcement stated the campaign had raised $317,000 toward a $3.7 million goal, while a later city release marking the building's topping-out reported the campaign had secured approximately $350,000 toward a $3.3 million need. The city has not explained the discrepancy between the two figures.
Jones Calls for Adoptions and Spay-Neuter Support
With the move looming, Jones is urging Tulsans to adopt or foster animals now, saying it would make the transition easier and smoother for the animals left behind as well as for staff and volunteers. He also stressed the importance of spaying and neutering pets, noting the benefits extend to both animal and community health — pointing out that a single litter can contain anywhere from three to 12 or 13 puppies. Tulsa Animal Services has separately said it hopes to expand community spay-neuter services and vaccinations for residents who cannot otherwise afford them, according to KJRH's earlier report on the new facility's goals. The City of Tulsa provides information on shelter resources and spay-and-neuter cost assistance for residents looking to help.
