Cleveland County Fairgrounds Host Animal Welfare Expo

The Animal Welfare Expo was held at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds in Norman, Saturday. 

This is the fourth year in a row that Hands Helping Paws and Norman Animal Welfare have put on this event.

A highlight of the event was fee-waived adoptable dogs.

"We work with the Norman Animal Welfare center to help, right here before kitten puppy season really ramps up, to help bring more of their current adoptions into place,” said Celena Belvin, Volunteer for Hands Helping Paws. 

Of course, finding a forever home for a shelter pet is the number one mission. But a huge part of the expo was to provide a low cost way to microchip your pet. They had $10 microchipping and $10 vaccines.

Volunteers with Hands Helping Paws say this event was brought to life when their administrator had been a part of the relief efforts after the May 2013 Moore tornado.

“(She) found that a number of pets had a better time getting reunited with their families when they were chipped. And it was longer for those that weren't chipped,” Belvin said.

So right before storm season, their mission is to bring awareness to the city, and make microchipping the most affordable.

The Norman Police Department was also in attendance, sending out reminders to the community. 

“Try to spay and neuter your animals. The pet population, especially this time a year, is a growing thing. Our animal welfare center is completely full… This is the time of year we really see increases. And we don't want to see increases,” Major David Teuscher, with the Norman Police Department, said.

Norman Animal Welfare is also looking to recruit new foster parents. If you are interested in adoption or fostering, click here.

If you’d like more information on Hands Helping Paws, Inc, and what they have to offer, click here.