The Washington County SPCA board voted on Thursday evening to resume operations in their recently flooded shelter.

The shelter is located along State Highway 123 between Bartlesville and Dewey.

WCSPCA Board President Darlene Shoemake in a statement said: “We felt like this was the right decision for the safety of our animals and employees.” She went on to say the temporary shelter simply was unsuitable to house the animals long-term.

SPCA staff and volunteers have spent the last week cleaning and sanitizing, removing moldy drywall and throwing out ruined items. The cat building had nearly two feet of water in it, and nearly all of the cat supplies were destroyed, including the cat trees and seating in the cat adoption area.

Rising floodwaters prompted a middle of the night evacuation on May 21st. The volunteers and staff were able to rescue all the animals, but had to leave many of the supplies behind. Since then, the WCSPCA has been operating a temporary shelter out of their Spay and Neuter Clinic building in Bartlesville.

The board and staff had been concerned about the age of the shelter and its location in a flood plain even before the recent flood. Plans are underway to build a new shelter in the near future. 

“I’m looking forward to moving to a location where we will have a cleaner, safer environment for the animals and employees and a more inviting space for our volunteers and the community,” Executive Director Tonya Pete said. “And of course, I will be so happy to not have to worry about flooding!”

To donate to help the WCSPCA, visit www.wcspca.org.