Humane Society Adapts Mission Amid Strained City Relationship

The Humane Society of Stillwater is adapting its mission and expanding its reach to surrounding communities as it navigates a deteriorating relationship with the City of Stillwater's Animal Welfare department, all while preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Jackie Ross-Guerrero, director of the Humane Society, says the organization's long-standing partnership with the city began to change about three years ago when city officials decided to pursue a new animal welfare shelter without including the nonprofit in their plans.

"When I started in 2008, we were sitting down at a table with the city to build a shelter together," Ross-Guerrero said. "For 47 years, what we were doing was working and working well. No one complained. No one had a problem."

The relationship shifted dramatically when city officials informed the Humane Society they would no longer need its help with adoptable animals.

"I was more or less told that they were gonna build a new shelter and that they no longer needed my help with their adoptable animals," Ross-Guerrero explains. "I was informed that they were going to continue to try and get a new shelter built, but that it would not include the Humane Society."

Emily Snow, president of the Humane Society Board of Directors, expresses concern about being excluded from the planning process for the new facility.

"Stillwater absolutely needs a new animal shelter system in place," Snow said. "We've just been a little concerned with some of the details of how it's going to affect us or not affect us, and we wish the city would be a little more transparent with that."

Tuesday, Stillwater voters will decide whether or not they want to fund a new animal welfare facility with an $8.75 million general obligation bond. Initial project plans show a 12,200 sqft facility that almost quadruples the space in the current 37-year-old facility. The design allows animal welfare to house 47 dogs and 42 cats, double their current capacity.

The nonprofit currently leases half of the existing building from the city on a 100-year lease at $1 per year, an agreement dating back to 1975. The city also covers utilities including electricity, water, sewer and trash services.

"We are blessed when it comes to that," Ross-Guerrero said. "All of the money we get goes to our animals, goes to vet care, goes to food. We don't have to pay rent, we don't have to pay electricity."

With the relationship strained, the Humane Society has shifted its focus to helping animals from surrounding communities.

"We were helping Stillwater animals and we were doing great," Ross-Guerrero said. "Now I'm bringing animals in from Pawnee, Perry, Ripley, Stroud, Cushing. We're saving lives, which I will continue to do."

This adaptation allows the organization to maintain its mission despite local challenges.

"We had to change our mission a little over a year ago due to the deterioration of the relationship with the city," Snow explains. "We now take in animals from around the region, reaching that far out to try to find enough animals to be able to adopt."

The changes come at a challenging time for animal rescue organizations nationwide. Both Snow and Ross-Guerrero report that donations have declined while animal intake has increased dramatically, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic.

"A lot of people got pets when everything kind of went to work from home," Snow said. "And then when they had to return to office, a lot of people felt like it wasn't fair to have an animal at home all day by themselves. And so they relinquished ownership and we're just overrun with animals."

The financial strain is significant, with Ross-Guerrero noting that veterinary bills alone reached nearly $80,000 last year.

"When your vet bills are $80,000 a year and you have $400,000 in the bank, that's not gonna last very long," she said. "Our fundraisers ... we still do our Walk and Wag in the spring and our golf tournament in the fall, but those numbers continue to go down."

The Humane Society of Stillwater receives no funding and is not connected to national organizations of similar name. Despite funding challenges, Ross-Guerrero remains committed to the organization's core mission.

"I'm not in this for the money. I'm in this to save lives," she emphasizes. "You're not putting me out of business. I'm going to save lives. No matter where I have to go, I'm going to save lives."

The Humane Society relies heavily on volunteers, particularly from Oklahoma State University's Greek life organizations, who need to complete community service hours each semester.

"We rely on the OSU community quite a bit," Ross-Guerrero said. "They do a lot of fundraisers for us and we just have to show up with dogs, so it's pretty easy on us."

As the organization prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary with an open house on April 5, Ross-Guerrero has announced her retirement after 17 years of service. Her last day will be May 31.

"For a nonprofit to survive for 50 years solely off donations is a pretty remarkable feat," Snow said. "So we just want to celebrate 50 years in Stillwater and invite the public down to come see the facility and our operations."

In 2024 the Humane Society was awarded Nonprofit of the Year from the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce.

The Humane Society continues its fundraising efforts with its annual Walk and Wag event scheduled for May 5 with a Kentucky Derby theme.

The Stillwegian reached out to City staff for comment but did not receive a reply before stated publication deadline.