If you would have told Animal Control Officer, ACO, Cindy Yinger five years ago what she would have to see and do at her job everyday, she more than likely wouldn’t believe you. Before taking the job at Blackwell Animal Control, she worked at a local veterinary clinic. They worked closely with Animal Control and the previous ACO, John Gerian, came to her when he was in the process of retiring and asked her if she would be interested in the position. He believed that she had what it took to not only handle the job, but excel at it. As it turns out, he was right. Five years later, ACO Yinger has made a name for herself as someone who cares deeply for the animals and has earned a lot of respect in the community of Blackwell and the surrounding towns for her generosity and ferocity when protecting those without a voice.

Another thing that ACO Yinger has done in her profession, is break the stereotype of a hardened unfeeling animal control officer who is the villain in so many stories. Throughout her social medias, she is not only helping these animals that are in extreme need, but also showing the community the other side of being an animal control officer that normally goes unseen. She focuses on the animals, their stories, and the emotional devastation that a person feels knowing that they won’t be able to save them all. Recently she made a video regarding an animal cruelty case they had seen and her inability to sleep because of the situation the animals and the shelter had been put in.

The text said, “After our call yesterday seeing the pure neglect these animals have been through and knowing our shelter is at max capacity, we are all on edge. If we don’t get adopters or rescues for some we will have to make some extremely hard choices, and its not [the animals’] fault.”

Another aspect of ACO Yinger’s job, and a side that she detests, is making those hard decisions. People believe that with a label like “No Kill Shelter” it means no animal will be euthanized in their care. Unfortunately that is not the case at all. While most shelters are working their hardest to gain that “No Kill” label, animals are still dying because of their previous owners lack of care or education. The sweet spot is under 11% to be considered “No Kill,” but what happens when there is no more food to feed them, or no more kennels to house them in?

“Miraculously I have 100 kennels now, instead of 10?” asks ACO Yinger.

No matter how much the officers and volunteers at these shelters want to save every animal they come across, it is not possible. They have to make those hard decisions, and then, ACO Yinger is forced to euthanize these animals herself.

“We have to take this animal that you failed and we have to, even if we have fallen in love with them, make the decision to end their life. I don’t do this job because I dislike animals, it quite the opposite, and it is tough to see so many given up on,” says ACO Yinger.

The amount of animal cruelty cases that are in Blackwell, let alone Kay County, would shock most people. Roughly once a month, ACO Yinger and her partner ACO Parson, are faced with extreme abuse and neglect cases. They are constantly incoming and just about the time they have found rescues or homes for the first case, another one comes along with more animals to take care of and find homes.

“A lot of it goes unnoticed and unsaid for the simple fact that people don’t want to turn their friends in.”

Because of this fear, Animal Control has made their reporting system completely anonymous. No one will ever know who reported whom except for the person who reported and the officers.

When asked about the best and worst part of their job, both officers agreed. The best part of their job is seeing these animals prosper after being taken from terrible situations that were out of their control, but the worst part is the lack of knowledge so many have about what it means to own a pet. A huge part of an ACO’s job is educating the community. Whether it be on the dangers of back yard breeding, vaccinations, spay/neuters, keeping pets at home, and so much more, the officers do their very best to teach people that owning a pet is not cut and dry. These officers are begging people to ask questions, no matter how small or large. They have seen so many different scenarios and they might have the fix for you.

Regardless of the amount of education they spread, it is inevitable that there will be animals in their shelter. This is when it becomes important to be as connected on social media as they are. Their most important and most challenging goal is to find the perfect fit for each animal that they adopt out. It is about finding a personality and needs that match to the animal and not people adopting for looks. Many come into the shelter and are blinded by the beauty of an animal and completely overlook the issues that it has.

“Finding people that are willing to take a dog that is broken or has been broken, pull them out of their shell, and give them the time to be a dog again is what’s important.”

Currently, the shelters and humane societies in Kay County are drowning. They are filled to the brim with animals which they are slowly losing the ability to care for anymore. It is times like this that those hard decisions of euthanasia, closing intake, and even letting go staff is brought into question.

“I think the most important thing to keep in mind is that while we have been working so hard to keep the city shelter at 90% save rates by taking as many dogs as possible.

The sad thing is that when we empty their kennels, they fill right back up again,” says Executive Director of Northern Oklahoma Humane Society, Ashley Villines. “The other side to that is now we are in a position of caring for several animals who are waiting for that perfect someone to come get them, but we just don’t get that much interest. Puppies and small dogs are cute, but the medium to large dogs are the ones suffering in the shelter. They become institutionalized because of the length of time that they’re typically here.”

This is a much bigger issue that just one small town or one non-profit being down for the county, it is about so many of the shelters being at their breaking point and the helpless animals suffering because of it.

In a TikTok video, ACO Yinger gave people an insight to her day. In the video she showed the condition that the animals in a neglect case were in and made the comment, “Today was rough. This case and so many others have been so hard on our tiny shelter. There are two full-time ACOs and one absolutely amazing volunteer. We have 10 runs and took in 11 dogs in one day while already being close to full. We are trying so hard, but drowning so fast. We can’t save them all, but we are going to save as many as we can. Even though we are struggling to keep stocked with food, we will keep pushing ourselves for them. They’re worth it. Our wish is that we didn’t have job security with people throwing their animals away like trash.”

These shelters and the workers that dedicate not only their time, but their lives, to saving these animals, desperately need the help of their communities in any way they can get it. Comfort items such as toys, blankets and treats, volunteers, food, cleaning supplies, litter, and so much more are in low supply and high demand. They are asking anyone who can help to do so.

If you have any questions about volunteering or what exactly the shelters need, you can call Blackwell Animal Control at 580-363-5490, Ponca City Animal Control at 580-767-0401, or Northern Oklahoma Humane Society at 580-767-8877. Be sure to also follow them on social media for updates on animals and events they have going on in the community. Blackwell Animal Control’s Facebook can be found at Blackwell Oklahoma’s animal shelter up for adoption and strays on hold and ACO Yinger’s TikTok where she speaks about what she experiences as an Animal Control Officer and shows the stories of so many animals can be found at acoyinger122. Northern Oklahoma Humane Society can be found at that name on Facebook and their Instagram and TikTok can be found under the name nokhumane.