❤️ Community Outreach: Helping the Lassiters, Our Quiet Heroes

There is a couple in our community who have become nothing short of family to me: Fawn and Eric Lassiter. I met them when I moved here in 2011, coming from a city lifestyle and learning very quickly what true hard work, sacrifice, and heart really look like.

For as long as I’ve known them, the Lassiters have dedicated their lives to caring for the animals that so many others overlook. I’ve watched them go without meals to ensure their animals were fed. I’ve watched them rise at 4:00 a.m., work until 10:00 p.m., and give up days off, vacations, and comforts—because lives depended on them.

Living in a rural area, we don’t have the same resources for strays, dumped or abandoned animals, or cruelty cases that larger cities do. But Fawn and Eric have never once turned their backs. They step in when nobody else can.

Eric, a longtime Tulsa firefighter who recently retired, has saved countless human lives—and if you’ve ever been to a local Sale Barn, you’ve likely seen him up front as the auctioneer.

Fawn runs our beloved Tom Mix Museum in Dewey, preserving history while also quietly shaping the future for animals who have nowhere else to go.

Years ago, in the brutal Oklahoma heat, I came across an abandoned rescue site—thirty dogs left behind without water or care. Despite having no support from law enforcement or animal control, Fawn did what most of us could only wish to do: she took all 30 dogs into her own care. It took years, but she either rehabilitated and rehomed every single one or provided lifelong care herself. That level of bravery, compassion, and grit is who she is.

Together, the Lassiters have saved more animals and people than any of us can count. They have worked multiple jobs, sacrificed more money than they’ve ever earned, and have never once asked for help. Many of their rescued pets—especially the most difficult to place, the kitties—have stayed with them for life. Some of their cats have lived over 20 years because of their unwavering care.

Now, as the weather cools and retirement places them on an even tighter fixed income, it is our turn to carry them the way they have carried this community for decades.

⭐ Our Community Goal

We are hoping to gather:

100 bags of Purina 22lb dry cat food ($22)

50 bags of Pure Balance Lamb & Rice 30lb dog food ($55)

These foods can be purchased at our local Bartlesville Walmart or shipped directly from Walmart.com. Reaching this goal would provide a full year of food for their many rescued cats and working dogs—freeing the Lassiters from an enormous financial burden and allowing them to finally care for themselves, their home, their equipment, and their own well-being.

✨️Donations can be picked up by yours truly, dropped off at/shipped to our address (please private message us for our address details), or taken directly to the Tom Mix Museum in Dewey where you can meet and thank Fawn personally.

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❤️ If you are willing and able to donate…

We have over 1,000 followers here.

If just 150 of you purchased one bag of food, we would reach and exceed our goal with ease.

For those who wish to help in other ways, I will also be setting up a GoFundMe soon so our community can contribute directly to their veterinary costs, repairs, daily care needs, and overall well-being.

Every single act of generosity matters. Every bag matters. Every share matters.

This is not something they asked for.

This is something they deserve.

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❤️ Let’s show Fawn and Eric what community looks like—just the way they have shown us for so many years.

If you’d like to donate or get involved, please reach out. Thank you all for helping us lift up two of the kindest people in our community.

Photo of baby Gator at the Tom Mix Museum - our very first stop before even bringing him home. After all, without Fawn and Eric, I would never know such a deep love for dogs and have the career I do now that serves you all