Norman Police Write Citations for Abandoning Pets

By Gan Matthews, NEWS 9

NORMAN, Oklahoma -- Norman police are cracking down on an annual problem. They're writing citations for pet owners who abandon their pets.

The Norman Animal Welfare center is filling up with lots of abandoned dogs, puppies, cats and kittens. It seems to happen every year around this time.

"With school letting out, particularly the university here soon, a lot of occasions we have animals that are left behind, abandoned," Norman Police Captain Tom Easley said.

Recently Norman picked up two puppies, each only a couple of weeks old, apparently from the same litter. One was left outside a convenience store.

Then, there is Rosco, a dachshund, also apparently abandoned by his owner.

About 10 days ago, Rosco was found abandoned at Norman's Dog Park. With the help of a private citizen, Animal Welfare was able to track down his owner. The citizen posted Rosco's picture on craigslist. Animal Welfare picked him up, and, by means of a chip already implanted on the dog, identified the owner. It turns out to be former OU basketball player Orlando Allen. He's now been cited for pet abandonment.

"It breaks my heart because they are part of your family, they rely on you and to just cast them out, be it because you're out of school or you move, you wouldn't do that to a child, so why would you do that to an animal that you made an obligation toward," pet owner Melissa Klien said.

Earlier this week Animal Welfare said a security camera spotted another owner dropping off a dog in a box at the back door of the Salvation Army.

"She openly admitted she had found the dog and she really didn't know what to do with it," said Animal Welfare Officer Trey Amrein. "So she just thought that was the best place to put it."

People are encouraged to take stray dogs they find to the animal shelter where they stand a chance of being adopted and finding a home.

Norman Animal Welfare said that Rosco the dachshund has found himself a new home.