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 It might seem odd to some, but what began as an opportunity to serve our community has become a passion for Dr.John Ott . Twelve years ago John first made a visit to Norman's animal shelter on a volunteer basis as a veterinarian and found the once state of the art facility sorely lacking for space and unsafe sanitary conditions. His desire to improve the shelter for animals housed there led to working with others to create a budget and led to a shelter addition. Under his vision and guidance, Norman's animal shelter is now one of only two state training sites for 4th year OSU veterinary students.

And now, he has become a "voice" promoting the construction of a new facility that anticipates serving the Norman community through 2025. This new shelter will not only provide better means to house and treat lost pets, but will give residents of Norman a source for spaying and neutering, pet identification for faster returns to owners and better control of strays in our community.

In addition to Dr Ott, Sooner Rotary had the privilege of hearing from Superintendent John Bowman, who is responsible for the oversight of the Norman Animal Shelter. Supt. Bowman added his support to the urgency of the need for more adequate provisions for lost pets. Providing more history and more projections for both the future needs and solutions to those needs, Supt. Bowman invited members of the community to the Animal Shelter's Open House from noon to 4pm on October 23rd. The open house will provide an opportunity to learn more about the present facility and the services currently provided through the 10 staff members, as well as, viewing the proposed plans for improvements and construction on the present site.  

Members of the club were encouraged to register their pets with the city ensuring their safe return if lost or stolen. Microchips can easily be inserted into a pet's neck area and used for easy identification.

Norman residents will have the opportunity to add their support with the passage of a bond that is up for approval in the next election, November 8.

Various announcements included upcoming service opportunities including Bingo at the Veteran's Center, workday at Food and Shelter for Friends October 29, and the collection of non-perishable and canned food items at our next meeting, Tuesday, October 18. James Harp mentioned that we have 3 applicants under review, additional new members to be recognized and encouraged current members to invite others to join our club. Thunderbird Clubhouse also received the remainder of the monies collected from Tour Le Vin. 

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