Lawton Animal Welfare’s Festive Santa Paws Tree Still Needs Shoppers

Each year, the Lawton Animal Welfare hosts their very own version of an "Angel tree," but instead of children listed on tickets on the tree, the tickets are for animals. The event is not only meant to help brighten the holidays for their very own shelter animals, but also to help those in the Lawton community with pets who are struggling this holiday season.

This year marks the 11th Annual Santa Paws event, and the deadline for choosing an angel and bringing in gifts has been extended to December 12. Helping an animal in need this Christmas is easier than you might think.

Here's how you can make a difference for an animal this Christmas in Lawton.

Applications to be an angel are closed, but the deadline is extended for gift shoppers.

The Santa Paws event is much bigger than just helping their own shelter animals. According to the Animal Welfare, "many families struggle to make ends meet," they explained, "they may also have pets, which increases the financial difficulty to provide essential items for their furry family members during the holidays."

So, to ensure that families in Lawton and surrounding areas don't have to choose between buying toys or food this winter, the Santa Paws event was introduced. Applications for families to be listed on the tree closed earlier this year. Now, it's time for shoppers in Lawton to choose their gift tags and bring their gifts to Animal Welfare.

If you do decide to bring gifts, try to bring your gifts all at once, rather than bringing them in several trips.

What to shop for to make the most of the Santa Paws event.

Many of the tickets listed ask for basic things such as dry dog food, toys, and blankets. Some ask for additional things like sweaters, leashes, collars, treats, and other items.

When buying dog food, they've listed the age of the dog and their size, so shoppers can buy the appropriate food. Administrative Assistant Two of the Lawton Animal Welfare, Angela McGuire, says that their own dogs at the shelter are fed Diamond foods. Their cats are fed Purina Kitten Chow and the Fancy Feast pâté.

For toys, you can usually find inexpensive items at your local Dollar General or dollar store. When it comes to bones and treats, however, avoid buying rawhide and aim for things that can be chewed for a long time without being digested.

Can you help the Santa Paws tree without living in Lawton?

You absolutely can! The Lawton Animal Welfare has an Amazon Wishlist that stays up-to-date. Items listed there can directly help both the animals there at the shelter and pets listed on the Santa Paws tree.

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But, if you are local and would like to pick your own angel on the tree, then visit the Lawton Animal Welfare at 2104 SW 6th St. in Lawton. They are open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Saturdays, they are open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They are closed Sunday and Monday.