In April, we transferred 230 animals to 22 different groups.  Some groups are very small and can only take a few at a time; others are larger and take many more.  Regardless of size, each group contributes to our efforts to help as many animals as possible.  Thank you to everyone who gives so much to help so many deserving animals find their forever homes.  We couldn’t do this work without your support and hard work.

As an open-door shelter with limited resources, we are lucky to have the support of our community members and organizations. Each person who is willing to give their time or financial resources makes such a difference and together we continue to make OAS a great place for animals. This past week one such group donated their work day to come help us with various projects that we don’t have the staff resources to accomplish. A group of 11 volunteers from Salesforce gave their time and manpower to help clean a dog exercise yard that had been overgrown with foxtails, a plant that can prove deadly to dogs. Pictured below, this group of volunteers spent the day in the sun pulling up vegetation and making the yard hospitable for dogs to romp and play again. Thank you to the Salesforce team for their effort and enthusiasm in helping OAS take care of our animals. It is because of volunteers and community members that we can do more for shelter animals!

This sweet puppy came in this week to OAS, just about 8 weeks old with what was suspected very limited sight, due to one eye being completely shut.  Upon further inspection, we realized that the dog is completely blind, but he doesn’t let that stop him.  He is full of puppy playfulness and couldn’t be more excited to get visits and pets from staff and volunteers at the shelter.

This puppy will be transferred to a rescue group who can find a home appropriate for a blind dog, where special accommodations can be made for him to have a happy life just like every other dog we adopt.

“We adopted Babe from Oakland Animal Services in January 2012. We have three children: Qiqi (15), Mike (10), and Rosie (6). We have never owned a dog before but our children have been pleading for one for quite some time. We started our search and were immediately drawn to pit bulls. After much research I determined that unscrupulous owners are much more of a problem than the breed. Our friends thought we were crazy, though. We met Babe at your shelter and it was love at first sight. All the dogs around Babe were barking and she was calm and had the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. We met Babe several times and the entire family was enchanted. In fact, I was very surprised to learn that Babe had been found on the streets and had been at the shelter for more than four months. Some say that her cropped ears make her look mean; however, her wagging tail and instant ability to roll over to have her belly rubbed puts that impression to rest. In fact, when I take her on walks the compliments we get about her “beauty” and demeanor are astounding. Babe is a great Pit Ambassador!

Babe acclimated beautifully into the family and if feels as though she’s been part of the family forever. As a pit bull, Babe needs her daily dose of exercise. A long walk with some training and “bird watching” calms her beautifully and by 7 pm she’s ready for snuggle time on the couch with the family. Her temperament with my children is superb. She has endless patience, is remarkably gentle, and is exceptionally loving towards them. This affection is clearly reciprocated. The attached pictures tell the real story.

Babe is smart, resourceful, and easy to train. I have found that she plays very well with other dogs provided that there is adequate warm up time. Finally, I’d like to thank the terrific staff of Oakland Animal Services for providing us with great guidance and letting us adopt this most magnificent creature.”

We have another wonderful dog with cropped ears at OAS who is waiting patiently for her home: Katy Perry.   Make sure you check out her fabulous video in which Katy goes looking for her missing ears!

In February, we transferred 161 animals to 25 different groups.  Some groups are very small and can only take a few at a time; others are larger and take many more.  Regardless of size, each group contributes to our efforts to help as many animals as possible.  Thank you to everyone who gives so much to help so many deserving animals find their forever homes.  We couldn’t do this work without your support and hard work.

Then a year later came Little One. Little One was born without an eye but has a wild happy spirit to make up for this minor disability. Similar to Buddy’s story, Little One needed a foster home but quickly became a permanent fixture in Betty’s life.

(Little One, pictured in the background of this photo)

And last but not least is little Houdini.   Nicknamed ‘Dini, you wouldn’t guess at first that this little Daschund mix is completely blind.   He trots around with his two other friends just as happy as can be, frolicking and running to his heart’s content.

It is volunteers and supporters like Betty that make our work at OAS so rewarding.  Betty, a retired Oakland Unified School teacher, has a big heart, and her skills here at the shelter help us keep things running smoothly.  We couldn’t be more thankful to all of the people who come to us to adopt, and a special thanks to those who take on our most special animals.

After being dumped on shelter grounds, then spending six months at OAS, Madori left the shelter on Friday for a foster home.  Her situation is a great example of our partnership with Cat Town, a local non-profit dedicated to helping cats from OAS that need extra care and attention.  It also highlights our amazing supporter, Friends of Oakland Animal Services(FOAS). In addition to needing placement in a foster home, Madori has a strange skin condition and is being seen by a dermatologist after having undergone other diagnostics, all thanks to the generous support of FOAS.

Thank you Cat Town for reducing her stress and putting her in a quiet, loving home.  Thank you FOAS for all your support in helping this girl get healthy.  We couldn’t do it without partners like these!

It was found that little Ellabean had a broken pelvis and spine and several puncture wounds.  We kept Ellabean here at the shelter while we contacted a few rescue groups.  Luckily, our friends at German Shepherd Rescue of Northern California were willing to take Ellabean into their program.  Her injuries were severe but because she had such a sweet disposition, GSR opted to have spinal surgery performed.  Ellabean now has pins in her spine to keep it in place as she heals.  Amazingly enough, these pins are designed to be adjusted on a weekly basis to adapt to her rapid growth from puppy to full sized dog. Her foster family reports that she is doing very well and was alert, happy and wagging her tail the day after surgery.  It is suspected that Ellabean was attacked by a raccoon, given the nature of her injuries.   We are excited for her full recovery.  For more updates on Ella, follow German Shepherd Rescue of Northern California on Facebook.

We are so thankful to Pound Puppy Rescue for helping us with this situation and giving these puppies a home to thrive in.    We can’t care for the animal population in Oakland alone, we are so thankful to our partner groups for sharing the load of taking care of Oakland’s animals!

These win-win situations create the most positive result in a climate where spaying and neutering does not happen as regularly as it needs to.   It is important to remember spaying and neutering is the  most important measure that can be taken to prevent an overabundance of animals looking for homes.  There are many options for spay and neuter in our community. For more information, check out the Berkeley Humane Society or East Bay SPCA .