Question

I was arrested for a traffic violation that was not my fault. My service dog was taken to the Animal Control. They are requiring that she be spayed before release and charging me over $400. She went in Friday night and I was released Monday morning, but they were closed Monday and Tuesday. She has saved my life more than once. I do not have that much money and it adds up every day. What can I do? I do not want her sterilized and I need her with me as soon as possible. What can I do?

Answer

Oklahoma state law requires shelters to either spay/neuter animals prior to adoption or have adopters leave a spay/neuter deposit and sign an agreement to have the animal sterilized. Local laws can be more stringent and require spaying/neutering prior to releasing animals to their “parents.” Impound fees are also authorized. Worth noting as well is that some municipalities in Oklahoma require dogs and cats to be sterilized if they are over six months of age unless the animal’s “parent” has an intact animal permit.

People who do not retrieve their animals in a timely manner may forfeit rights to those animals. People who believe that their rights have been violated can sue but by the time the case is resolved it is very possible that the animal will no longer be at the shelter. Spaying/neutering help to curtail the overpopulation of dogs and other animals and can provide health benefits.

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