LAWTON – The City Council approved an architectural/engineering contract of nearly half a million dollars for a “schematic design plan” for renovation of the Animal Welfare Building.
GH2 Architects, based in Mesa, Arizona, will be paid $483,900 for their work, which will feature plans for renovation of the existing Animal Welfare facility and construction of a new pet adoption center adjacent to the existing facility.
March 10, 2025, is the date for completion of design development and construction documents.
Lawton’s Animal Welfare Division handled 4,555 animals during calendar year 2023; that number included 2,818 dogs, 1,246 cats and 491 others. “Those ‘others’ include everything from guinea pigs, hamsters, snakes, chickens, rabbits, and pigs,” city spokesperson Caitlin Gatlin told Southwest Ledger.
“The overall goal of Lawton Animal Welfare is to reduce the euthanasia rate,” Gatlin said. Last year the division euthanized 2,101 dogs and cats, and in 2022 the division euthanized 1,616 dogs and cats.
The division’s success rate – animals that were either adopted or returned to their owners – was 67.1% in 2023 and 72.49% in 2022.
Lawton’s animal welfare building was constructed in 1990. It has 63 dog runs and 42 cages for “cat holding,” plus 16 cages in the cat adoption area, Gatlin said.