Johny Sandoval promoted to Oklahoma City Animal Welfare superintendent as agency prepares for new MAPS 4 center
Leadership change at Oklahoma City Animal Welfare
Oklahoma City has promoted Johny Sandoval to serve as superintendent of the city’s Animal Welfare division, elevating him from a supervisory role within the agency. The superintendent position oversees municipal animal shelter operations and animal-control functions carried out by the Animal Welfare division within the city’s Development Services Department.
The promotion comes as Oklahoma City continues to manage sustained shelter-capacity pressure while also advancing construction of a replacement facility funded through the city’s MAPS 4 program.
Sandoval’s background and prior work
City communications describing Sandoval’s appointment emphasize more than a decade of animal-welfare experience and a career that began in hands-on shelter work as an animal care technician. Before moving to Oklahoma City in 2023, Sandoval worked at the Ark-Valley Humane Society in Colorado, where he was involved in operational initiatives that included facility improvements and programs aimed at pet retention.
In public statements tied to the appointment, city leadership described the promotion as a continuity move built around operational leadership and measurable performance, while Sandoval signaled an emphasis on collaboration, consistent operations and data-driven animal services.
Recent context: staffing and intake constraints
Oklahoma City Animal Welfare has faced recurring operational strain in recent years, driven in part by staffing capacity and the volume of animals entering the shelter system.
In August 2023, the Oklahoma City Animal Shelter temporarily closed on Sundays and Mondays, citing staffing limitations and a need to stabilize operations as newly hired employees completed onboarding.
In June 2024, the shelter implemented a revised intake policy limiting daily intake to 30 dogs and 30 cats, describing the change as an immediate measure to manage overcrowding and reduce the likelihood of euthanasia linked to space constraints.
Facility expansion underway through MAPS 4
The leadership change also unfolds during a major capital project intended to reshape the city’s long-term animal-welfare capacity. Through MAPS 4, Oklahoma City is building a new animal welfare center with a total project budget of about $42 million.
Construction on the new facility began in 2025 behind the current shelter at 2811 SE 29th St. City plans call for the new center to open in 2027 and to be named the Oklahoma City Louisa McCune Animal Welfare Center. The project description includes a roughly 70,000-square-foot facility designed with separate areas for intake, adoption, training and clinic services.
Project plans anticipate expanded capacity, including nearly 550 dog kennels and more than 300 cat condos, along with design elements aimed at reducing animal stress and improving workflow.
What the transition may mean operationally
Sandoval takes the superintendent role as the city balances near-term population-management tools—such as intake limits—with a longer-term buildout intended to increase capacity and modernize shelter operations. The superintendent will be positioned to influence how policies, staffing and facility planning align as Oklahoma City moves from interim measures toward the planned transition into the new MAPS 4-funded center.