December 5, 2020 Issue, Page 1 of 10

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AUS Serving Western Oklahoma Since 1901 Weekend Edition Elk City animal rescue warns AncestryDNA leads Elk City woman to against pets for Christmas gifts her sister who doesn’t know you are getting them a dog. You need every per- son involved to be committed, You shouldn’t put a Christmas bow on an animal with a beating heart.” ‘Adam's rescue group, WAR, has been working for years to end kill shelters in western Oklahoma. She believes that both citizen in- volvement and also making sure the animals adopted through the Elk City Animal Shelter don’t reproduce themselves is key. “When I first got started, there was this animal welfare group that was involved with the Elk City Animal Shelter. They didn’t see any- thing wrong with charging $25 to adopt out a dog and sending them out the door not spayed or neutered. Maybe they thought getting them out cheap and doing it quicker was the answer, but it wasn’t. To have ano kill shelter in a small community like Elk City, you real- ly have to have the dogs adopted out of there to be spayed and neu- tered. If they are spayed and neutered, it at least stops the cycle. For decades, people would pay $25 to adopt an unaltered dog and before they knew it, that dog was pregnant with 10-12 puppies. Well, they weren't signed on for puppies, so they would give the puppies to whoever would take them. Guess where the puppies would end up? ‘The shelter. Then the puppies do the same thing — get abandoned, have multiple litters and, before you know it, you have more dogs Ryan Martinez and Catherine David than willing owners.” For that reason, Adams pushed the local animal shelter to in- By Shonda Little crease their adoption fee in order to cover spay and neuters for any dogs they adopt out. Two years ago, Elk City woman Ryan (Meadows) Martinez had ‘The proof is in the pudding with animal control pickups down no idea she had an unknown paternal sister. Had the two women drastically from this time 20 years ago. existed decades ago, they may not have ever found each other. Adams does not limit her work to Beckham County. She has been But, through the modern developments of AncestryDNA and able to assist Greer and Jackson Counties with free spay and neu- Facebook, the two were able to find each other. By Shonda Little ters. In that program, the dogs are transported to Oklahoma City “[ knew my biological dad was Cajun,” Martinez said. “I guess Thadn’t really thought about the possibility of him having more For well over a decade and a half, Elk City woman Vicky Adams for the day and then brought back to their owners that night. has been involved in animal rescue in western Oklahoma, primar- “This is all funded by donations, like everything we do,” she said. kids. My mom had me and my brother from him, but she had never In the meantime, Adams and her group pulls every dog they can talked too highly of him. My stepdad, who is my dad as far as I'm ily Beckham County. Though her non-profit group, Western Animal from the Elk City Animal Shelter. concerned, came into my life when I was really little andI didn’t re- Rescue, or WAR, has a high focus on dogs, she has also worked with Sometimes they can find breed specific rescues who will take a member any different. He had never treated me like anything other stray cats and malnourished horses. dog. Other times they send the dog to Bella SPCA in Oklahoma City. than his daughter, so I didn’t ever have the urge to go looking for In her time, she has seen animals put in almost every bad situa- Several have ended up being rescued to Adams’ own facility. Ad- this man who was my biological father. [honestly didn’t give much tion imaginable and almost always by humans. ams offers a service to board dogs while their human caretakers are thought to what he had done with his life or if he had any other “and some of the worst of all are the Christmas puppies,” Adams going ona trip. She also can assist with training dogs. children until I got that Facebook message.” insisted. “Puppies are a commitment. They grow into adult dogs and All the dogs who end up in her direct WAR rescue get solid train- Unbeknownst to Martinez, her biological half-sister Catherine every single one of them has their own personality. Maybe you are ing before they are adopted to new homes. David did have questions. David had been adopted from birth in getting the puppy for a child who can’t yet comprehend the care that ‘Adams has depended in the past on volunteers. With the outbreak Louisiana and desired to know her biological origins. they would need to give. Maybe you are giving the puppy to an adult See Pets page 2. Ina story that is increasingly common in 2020, David first start- ed with doing an AncestryDNA test. She didn’t have immediate matches pop up, but did find cousins of her father. Elk City graduate reflects on daughter’s Though Martinez hadn't been in her biological father’s life for very long, a local cousin in Elk City who popped up on David's DNA findings remembered that he had a cousin who had both spent time in New Orleans and also had a daughter in Elk City. type 1 diabetes diagnosis See DNA page 2. In last week's Elk City News, Felicia McClure detailed her daughter Lola’s path through the T1D. Elk City Public Schools Peeler was well aware of McClure's story. The two have leaned upon each other when they were in need of supplies or just a friend. Superintendent Rick “[ was out there at home with my daughter Kailee, and I needed a sensor. The McClures jumped in to help and we have made sure to let Garrison announces them know they could always get the same if they are in the city with their daughter,” Peeler said. Peeler’s daughter Kailee has always been an active student-athlete. retirement ‘At 14, she has just passed her fifth year with type 1 diabetes. Elk City Public School Super- Before she was first diagnosed, her mother had recognized that she intendent Rick Garrison has an- had rapid weight loss, extreme fatigue and increased urination. nounced he will close out a 32- Peeler had only noticed those first indicators for a few days when year career in education with his she saw a photo of Kailee at a football game. upcoming retirement effective “Tjust looked at her and knew something was really wrong. I could June 30, 2021. just see she was sick. It was on a Sunday and I took her to urgent care. Garrison's career started in I told them her symptoms and they did a ketosis test. She was 1,500 1989 where he was hired to on her levels. It was off the charts,” Peeler recounted. teach and coach at Garden City, Peeler said this is where learning math from Elk City Public Schools Kansas. He continued his career came in handy. at Alva Public Schools where he “Yeah, had some great math teachers there, but when you are a taught and served as the Head teenager, you don't think it will have a practical place in your life. Boys Basketball Coach. He con- When my daughter got 1D, all that math came rushing back and I tinued in that capacity at Per- wanted to know all I could,” Peeler added. kins-Tryon Public Schools before When first diagnosed, there were no hospital beds available in all of Rick Garrison he was named Assistant High Oklahoma City. Instead, Kailee and her family were forced to stay in School Principal at Elk City in the emergency room for 24 hours. 1998. He accepted the superintendent's position at Burns Flat-Dill By Shonda Little “She had 48 shots in two days,” Peeler recounted. “You know how City Public Schools in 2002 and then the superintendent's position they say God won't give you anymore than you can handle? Well, I at Cheyenne Public Schools in 2008. Garrison returned to his alma watched this. Kailee’s a rock star. She is a stud. She is so self-suffi- mater and was named Superintendent of Elk City Public Schools in As the annual awareness week for type 1 diabetes draws to a close, cient, she has never complained or let diabetes get in her way.” 2016. Dandy (Newton) Peeler explains that parents of T1D kids have a com- mon bond. Peeler recounted that having a child struck with type 1 diabetes was During his five years as Elk City Schools’ Superintendent, Gar- like having a toddler all over again. rison has overseen the construction of the new Elementary School, ‘They share tips, they commiserate when times are tough, they “Thad been pushing independence from an early age and Kailee the closing of Northeast and Fairview Elementary Schools, the relo- high-five when things are good, she said. took to it. She is a natural leader, but then all of the sudden we are cation of Pre-Kindergarteners from Pioneer to the new elementary Peeler, a 1999 graduate of Elk City High School, is currently serving having to ask her what she ate, how long ago she ate. It was hard for school, moved the 9th grade to the High School, and relocated the as an assistant principal for Edmond North. The high school is much her because she was so independent from birth. It was hard for us Central Board office to the repurposed old junior high building, larger than the one she grew up in. She helps manage 2,600 kids daily. See Type 1 page 2. See Garrison page 4. a Te Weather tomorrow /30 Vol. 118, No. 98 75 cents, 10 pgs. Mail delivery 580.225.3000 View online elkcityoknews.com