Tulsa Officers Pay For Motel To Keep Homeless Woman, Dog Out Of Cold

Two Tulsa police officers went above and beyond to help a homeless woman and her dog sleeping in the freezing cold.

While most of us were bundled up inside when the snow and ice moved into our area over the weekend, some weren't so fortunate.

Officers Jennifer Murphy and Kayla Johnson found a woman and her small dog shivering outside while temperatures were in the teens.

They called a homeless shelter, but were told animals weren't allowed, so they took matters into their own hands.

On a nice day, homeless people are out and about all over Tulsa, but they head to shelters when cold weather moves in; except for those with pets, which aren't accepted at most facilities.

Saturday, Murphy and Johnson went to investigate a trespassing call near 71st and Yale and found a woman and her 10-pound rat terrier shivering and sleeping.

"She wasn't prepared to be in the cold, and I don't believe either of them would have made it through the night," Murphy said.

Temperatures were in the teens and the wind chill made it feel even colder. A wet sleeping bag was the only thing they had to keep warm.

"Oh it was so cold, it was miserably cold. She didn't have a whole lot on,” Murphy said.

Johnson said, "She was trying to take care of her baby more than herself."

That baby is her dog, Rascal.

Johnson and Murphy called a few centers in the area and were told the woman could come, but not her dog.

Johnson said, "The dog, to her, is just like family. We are all fortunate to have family to go home to, or go to their house; she didn't have that, and giving up part of her family wasn’t an option."

She told the officers she was evicted unexpectedly a few days before and had never been homeless.

Rascal was all she had.

"We were running out of options, so we talked about it and decided the only option we had was to put her up in a motel for the night," said Murphy.

They were more than happy to pay for a room but wish there were more options for homeless people with pets in emergency situations.

The officers paid for her to stay a few nights at the motel. She told them Sunday she has found a place she can live.

We reached out to a few shelters to learn more about their pet policies but haven't heard back.