by Victoria Stephens
A new animal rescue facility in El Reno is building a community
of pet lovers and contributing to finding a solution for the animal welfare crisis in Oklahoma. Nexus Pets just broke ground on two new facilities to house and care for cats and dogs in need of a home in the central Oklahoma community.
Nexus originally started as Nexus Equine in 2017, a resource for horses in Oklahoma. In 2023, Nexus decided to expand its programs to include dogs and cats. Nexus Pets is the new sister organization of Nexus Equine, under the parent
organization of Nexus Animals. The current facilities, on 160 acres, include an office and barns for horses on site.
Growing up in rural Edmond on a small horse farm sticks with you, even if you decide to pursue other things and find working success. Rita Hoch, founder, president, and chief executive officer of Nexus Animals, was working as a speech pathologist before she decided to pursue a career in animal welfare. Hoch has had a passion for animal welfare since she was a child, and her next act is all about improving the quality of life for Oklahoma animals.
“I’ve always been a horse girl,” Hoch said. “I was that little girl who had to have that black horse when I was six years old, and I had to name it Black Beauty. And my dad got that for me.”
Hoch started Nexus Equine to save horses that might have been show animals or perhaps had owners who were in need. Nexus Equine organizes a variety of programs, including adoption; transport to potential adopters; the Care Connection Fund to provide financial assistance for horse care; the Take Two leasing program for horses of higher monetary value that have not sold and need new owners; the 4-H Equine Makeover Challenge to provide coaching on the care and training of horses; the BRIDGE program to teach horsemanship skills to kids; and Rita’s Angel Equine Fund, a grant to provide veterinary services beyond the normal level of care.
Hoch said, “Oklahoma is a top-five state in the country for the number of horses, yet we are very underresourced for horses when they fall into need. Our programs are designed to meet the horses where they are in terms of need.”
Extending Services to Cats and Dogs
Hoch plans to mirror the Nexus Equine programs in Nexus Pets, something she has already begun doing with Rita’s Angel Fund. Nexus Pets has taken in several dogs who were on euthanasia lists at local shelters, in desperate need of extensive veterinary care. Nexus Pets provides them with the quality health services they need and places them in foster homes to heal. “We decided to start Nexus Pets because we recognized a void in the animal welfare of dogs and cats, and we felt that we could be a resource,” Hoch said. “We are focusing on the OKC Animal Shelter because it’s about 145 percent over capacity for dogs right now.”
Without its own facilities for dogs and cats yet, Nexus Pets is limited to care based in foster homes. The construction of two buildings to house Nexus Pets is under way on the northwest corner of the Nexus Animals property. The buildings are anticipated to be finished in April.
“One thing that has been reinforced since we started is that the rural shelters around our rescue are very underresourced, and they do not have the support that they need,” said Samantha Burnett, senior director of special projects at Nexus Animals.
Nexus Pets is partnering with shelters in Chickasha, Blanchard, Tuttle, El Reno, Yukon, Mustang, and Carnegie. Spaying and neutering are the most heavily used services that Nexus provides for the shelters and the communities.
Many shelters are not able to perform basic health care for the animals when they are placed, which affects the health of the entire animal community being housed at the shelter.
Another service that Nexus Pets has started to provide is transporting animals to shelters in other states that are in need of animals to adopt out. Nexus has completed several transports to the Wisconsin Humane Society, which needs large-breed dogs. “Our partner in Wisconsin Humane will take large-breed puppies, which is the hardest population to place in Oklahoma. It takes them longer to be adopted. The average length of stay for the Wisconsin Humane adoption program is seven days,” said Burnett.
Findings Home for Rescued Animals
Hoch emphasized that Nexus Animals is not a sanctuary, and its goal is to find good homes for all the animals in its care. To keep animals with their owners, Nexus also tries to support owned animals in the community by helping those animals stay happy and healthy at home.
“Sometimes owners have fallen on hard life situations, and they need help. It’s so rewarding to see pet parents so happy that they are able to do this for their animals. You see how much love they have, and it does not matter what their income is because it does not affect their capacity to care,” Burnett said.
Nexus Animals is funded solely on donations, but there are several ways for
people to make an impact. Nexus also accepts donations of food and other pet and equine items and welcomes people who would like to volunteer their time. “We have the knowledge and the background and the skills to know how to be impactful, and we recognize the voids that are out there,” Hoch said. “And we know that there are a lot of other organizations working hard out there, doing their part. And for us, especially with where we are located, we want to fill some of those gaps so the dogs and cats have a better opportunity to be adopted.”
To learn more about the Nexus Animals programs and volunteer opportunities, visit https://nexusequine.org.
