Sunday Conversation with Christy Counts

By Carrie Coppernoll

Published: September 14, 2008

Christy Counts is an expert cat catcher.

She has laid traps for unsuspecting feral cats across the metro area. She catches them, has them spayed or neutered and releases them back to their colonies.

The founder of the Central Oklahoma Humane Society, along with her volunteers, has spayed or neutered more than 1,300 feral cats in 170 colonies.

In less than two years, Counts and her volunteers have opened one spay-neuter clinic and are looking to build a second. They've launched programs promoting humane education, advocacy, adoption and other causes.

In the coming weeks, the society will open an adoption center with hopes of finding homes for 1,500 cats and dogs in the first year, Counts said. The new site will be at 7500 N Western Ave.

Q. Why did you start the Central Oklahoma Humane Society?

A. Well, I moved back here from New York City about 3½ years ago, and when I got here I thought it was odd that Oklahoma City didn't have a humane society. I've lived in many places around the country, and it just never occurred to me that a place wouldn't have a humane society. So I started working with the Oklahoma City Animal Shelter to really get into the industry, meet everyone and see what was really going on here in the city and see why it was that we were euthanizing so many animals in Oklahoma City. And through that process discovered and decided — with a number of other people — that we really did need a humane society to achieve our goals.

Q.What is the state of animal well-being in Oklahoma City?

A. We are about normal for our peer cities. We were euthanizing about 70 percent of the animals that were coming into the shelter. Now in the last year, that number dropped. We euthanized 2,800 fewer dogs and cats this year than we did last year. That's a huge, dramatic decrease. So we know we're moving into the right direction. But there are other communities around the country that aren't euthanizing any or are much lower.

Q. What are your long-term goals?

A. For domestic animals, for dogs and cats, we've got a long way to go. I know the community support's there. On a daily basis people are talking to us. They're really excited about what we're doing. So I know the support is there if we could just get the infrastructure in place. I absolutely know without a doubt that we can go no-kill for healthy, adoptable dogs and cats here in the next five years.

Q. What is an adoption center?

A. This is kind of a new concept. The dogs will not be staying there overnight. They're not in cages. They're all in real life rooms — behind glass and windows with couches and chairs and tables, kind of like a home-type setting. Foster parents will drop them off in the morning on their way to work and then if they're not adopted during the day they'll be picked up in the evening by their foster parents. And then we'll have cats there and dogs there and we'll be open six days a week: Tuesday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Q. How did this idea come about?

A. So many people can't foster because they don't know what to do with their animals while they're at work all day. That's one reason why I have a hard time fostering. When you're gone from home 13 hours a day, then you're kind of stuck. This way it makes it really easy to foster animals.

Q. Do other animal advocates use this adoption model?

A. It has been done in a couple other places around the country. We kind of modeled this off an organization ... in New York City. There's also one in Tahoe. I know of about four or five around the country that do similar type situations like this.

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