by Kaycee Chance | Photos by Linda Earley
It is no secret in Oklahoma that many dogs and cats are in need of adoption,
and many passionate Oklahomans work every day to help save them. The Oklahoma City Animal Shelter is pushing hard in its Alive in the 405 campaign, which focuses on reaching a 90 percent live-release rate for animals that enter the shelter system through reunification, adoption, or transfer to a rescue partner. In past decades, that number has been as low as 50 percent, but in recent years, because of many advocates, dedicated employees, and partnerships, it has risen to more than 85 percent.
One of the people who works extremely hard every day toward those efforts is Jon Gary, superintendent of animal welfare in Oklahoma City. He is responsible for
overseeing the operations of the city’s Animal Welfare Division, which includes all animal shelter operations, veterinarian teams, and field service teams.
That is no small task, to say the least, because Oklahoma animal-welfare advocates have faced unparalleled challenges this year with the spread of dog flu. In early 2023, canine influenza swept the region, forcing many shelters and rescues across the state to temporarily close to attempt to slow the spread of the disease that had already caused many dogs to lose their lives.
Managing these unexpected occurrences on top of the fast-paced daily activities of the Animal Welfare Division proves just how dedicated the division is and how hard the employees work.
A normal day for Gary consists of evaluating the department’s programs, budget management, and team leadership, but overall, his focus is on finding solutions. He refers to himself as “a problem solver by nature,” explaining that a lot of his time is spent on “problem areas and working toward solutions.”
All in the Family
When not concentrating on saving the dogs and cats of Oklahoma City, Gary enjoys spending time at home with his family, including his fur babies Duke and Chloe. “I have been married to my beautiful wife, Jamie, for 25 years,” Gary says. “We were childhood sweethearts.” Married since they were 20 years old, the couple now has four children, Jayson, Jalen, Jaron, and Jenna.
Equally important members of the family are Duke, an 11-year-old English Bulldog, and Chloe, a 10-year-old Maltese-Yorkie mix. The family adopted Duke eight years ago from the Oklahoma Humane Society when his owner surrendered him.
“They stated they could no longer afford to keep him,” Gary explains. “Initially, I was just fostering him for OK Humane. But I fell in love very quickly, and it became clear he wasn’t going anywhere.”
Similarly, Chloe joined the family seven years ago when Gary’s wife was alerted to the possibility of Chloe being surrendered to the shelter.
“A friend of my wife’s knew someone who planned to take Chloe to the shelter. She couldn’t bear the thought of her going into the shelter system, so we took her in.”
The rest is history because Chloe has been a beloved family member ever since.
For Gary and his family, the benefits of pet ownership are abundant and trace back to childhood.
“I’ve been a dog lover my whole life,” Gary says, “It started with my first dog, Scrappy, a Shih Tzu who lived to be 17 years old.”
Scrappy, along with the other dogs in Gary’s life, taught him the many benefits of having a pet around.
“I think the biggest benefit to being a dog owner for me is how loyal they are and how they love unconditionally,” he explains. “I’ve had many people let me down in my life, but my dogs are always there. If I have a rough day, I look forward to coming home and loving on them.”
Benefits for the Community
In addition to the personal benefits of pet adoption, Gary points toward the domino effect of benefits for the community when adoption becomes the trend.
“There is just something about saving a life that makes you look at them differently,” Gary says. “When you adopt, you are not just saving the life of the pet that you adopt, you’re also saving the life of the one that gets to take its place in that kennel.”
Gary and his staff hope to see this trend grow, encouraging the public to adopt pets and to treat them like beloved members of the family.
For the Gary family, the daily benefits of pet ownership are found in the moments
of small joy, such as spending time together after a stressful day.
“Our day-to-day with our dogs is mostly just lying on the couch and spending time with them,” Gary says, “Our jobs are extremely stressful, and we love it that their favorite thing to do is just relax with us after a long day.”
Especially during this season of life, the family members are spending all the quality time together that they can.
“Duke is very old for a Bulldog,” Gary explains. “The hardest part is knowing that I don’t have a lot more time left with him.” He describes Duke as a sweet guy who loves “lying around and slobbering on our couch. He is an amazing and very smart dog who has brought a lot of joy to
our lives. I am just enjoying every minute of the time I have left with him.”
In addition to the goal of a live-release rate of 90 percent, the Oklahoma City Alive in the 405 campaign focuses on fewer animals entering the shelter system because of a higher volume of pet adoption and responsible pet ownership. Gary has dedicated his career to those efforts, and at the end of the day, he relies on the love of his own dogs, Duke and Chloe, to help him keep fighting.
It’s clear to see that the Gary family wouldn’t be complete without the two beloved rescue dogs, and they hope the rest of the Oklahoma City community will adopt companions too.
