We, as taxpayers and compassionate citizens, support humane treatment of all animals in the care of the Lawton Animal Shelter. We believe animals should be provided adequate, high quality, palatable food, to include moist food when necessary; injured or sick animals should be provided veterinary care.

Claiming "lack of funding", shelter dogs and cats, many of which are on death row, are not properly fed; and untreated sick and injured animals languish in pain, on cold cement floors, for days, without the comfort of a simple blanket, while taxpayers pay a veterinarian for services; and the supervisor maintains a tax supported habitat for donkeys, llamas, skunks, turtles, guinea pigs, and other animals - when there are other agencies equipped to deal with these animals.

Thousands of starving cats on Lawton streets are ignored by animal control, and the supervisor supports a law making it illegal for compassionate citizens to feed the cats, leaving only one option: Let them starve!

We do not support the experimental castration of male dogs with calcium chloride, which is not approved by the FDA. Calcium chloride, injected into the testicles of male dogs, does not adequately reduce testosterone levels to effect desired behavior changes in dogs, which is a beneficial side effect of surgical neutering, therefore, adopters should be able to choose the manner in which their adopted pets are neutered.

Due to lack of transparency of shelter operations, and long-standing numerous complaints from citizens, and shelter employees, we support any changes necessary to provide a humanely-operated, tax-supported municipal animal shelter.