Thanks to Maddies Fund and adopters, OAS adopted 166 animals during the two day event. For a list of adopted animals, Click here.
Thank You to Maddie’s Foundation
(From the Adoptathon website): Last year, Maddie’s Fund® organized the largest collaboration of animal shelters in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties for a two-day record-breaking pet adoption event which saved the lives of nearly 2,000 dogs and cats. The second annual Maddie’s® Matchmaker Adoptathon is being held on June 4 and 5 to repeat last year’s goal of finding loving homes for every dog and cat in the counties’ shelters and rescue organizations.
Maddie’s Fund has set aside $2 million for this year’s Adoptathon – double the nearly $1 million spent last year – to cover this ambitious goal. Adoptions will again be free for qualified adopters. In return, Maddie’s Fund will pay each shelter or rescue group $500 for every dog/cat adopted. However, to make sure no pet is left behind, $1000 will be given for every adoption of a senior or treatable pet and $1500 for every adoption of a senior pet with a medical condition*.
“The success of last year’s Adoptathon exceeded our wildest expectations,” said Dave Duffield, Maddie’s Fund founder. “We received reports that people were lined up down the street, and parking lots were full, as thousands of wonderful people came out to save the lives of shelter animals. We are forever indebted to the many Bay Area residents that came together for this common cause, and look forward to an even more successful event this year.”
Maddie’s Fund has partnered with more than 40 animal shelters and rescue organizations in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties for this year’s Adoptathon. Free adoption of dogs and cats will be offered at more than 70 locations**. This year, the Stoneridge Shopping Center in Pleasanton is working with Maddie’s Fund to host adoptions and to serve as command central for the Adoptathon. Other adoption locations include participating shelters and rescue organizations, PETCO, PetSmart and Pet Food Express.
“The dedication of the animal shelter and rescue organizations was incredible last year,” said Rich Avanzino, Maddie’s Fund president. “Without their support and hard work, the Adoptathon would have never happened. As a result, Maddie’s Fund is doubling its monetary contribution to help empty those same shelters again. Our big initiative this year is to expand our lifesaving to include more senior and treatable dogs and cats.”
Maddie’s® Matchmaker Adoptathon is being held to increase awareness of shelter animals and their need for loving homes and to shed light on the tireless efforts of the shelters and rescue organizations in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties that work so hard to save the lives of countless dogs and cats. In addition, the adoption event honors the memory of the Foundation’s namesake, a miniature schnauzer named Maddie.
“During last year’s event, we set a personal record for our rescue organization. The number of cats we adopted during those two days was nearly double what we adopt in an entire month,” said Elaine Lyford-Nojima, Director, Maine Coon Adoptions cat rescue organization. “We are thrilled to be a part of the Adoptathon again this year, and can’t wait to adopt more of our terrific animals to loving families.”
* Maddie’s Fund will pay organizations $500 per regular adoption, $1000 for each adoption involving a dog or cat who is 7 years of age or older or who is diagnosed with one or more treatable medical conditions and $1500 for each adoption involving a dog or cat who is 7 years of age or older and who is diagnosed with one or more treatable medical conditions (list can be provided upon request).
** For a complete list of locations, and to print a driving map, please visit www.maddiesadoptathon.org. In addition, you can also follow updates for Maddie’s® Matchmaker Adoptathon on Facebook and Twitter.
ABOUT MADDIE’S FUND®
Maddie’s Fund®, The Pet Rescue Foundation, (www.maddiesfund.org) is a family foundation which is funded by the founder of Workday and PeopleSoft, Dave Duffield and his wife, Cheryl. Maddie’s Fund is helping to create a no-kill nation where all healthy and treatable shelter dogs and cats are guaranteed a loving home.
To achieve this goal, Maddie’s Fund is investing its resources in building community collaborations where animal welfare organizations come together to develop successful models of lifesaving; in veterinary colleges to help shelter medicine become part of the veterinary curriculum to train veterinarians to save the lives of sick and injured dogs and cats in animal shelters; and in the implementation of a national strategy to promote accountability and transparency in animal shelter operations. Maddie’s Fund is named after the family’s beloved Miniature Schnauzer who passed away in 1997.
PARTICIPATING ANIMAL WELFARE ORGANIZATIONS:
ALAMEDA COUNTY
Berkeley Animal Services, Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society, Big Dawgs Rescue, City of Alameda Animal Shelter, East Bay SPCA, East County Animal Shelter, Fremont Animal Services, Furry Friends Rescue, German Shepherd Rescue of Northern California, German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue, Hayward Animal Services, Home At Last Animal Rescue, Hopalong Animal Rescue, Island Cat Resources and Adoption, Maine Coon Adoptions, Oakland Animal Services, Purrfect Cat Rescue, Sunshine Rescue Group, Tri-Valley Animal Rescue, Valley Humane Society, Wren Yorkie Rescue
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
Antioch Animal Shelter, Biff & Bark Foundation, Cat Support Network, Community Concern for Cats, Contra Costa Animal Services, Contra Costa Humane Society, Contra Costa SPCA, East Bay Animal Rescue and Refuge, Feral Cat Foundation, Golden State German Shepherd Rescue, Good Newz Pittie Pup Rescue, Great Kitty (and Doggy) Rescue of Rescue Alliance, H.A.L.O. (Homeless Animals’ Lifeline Organization), HARP (Homeless Animals Response Program), Hayflakes Sanctuary, Lucky Dog, Outcast Cat Help, Paw Printz Pitbull Rescue, Paws and Tails Rescue, Pets and Pals, , Pomeranian Rescue Group, Safe Cat Foundation, Shake Wiggle N Roll, Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation, White Kitty Foundation
A Generous Gift
Students at Arroyo High School in San Lorenzo made a generous gift to the Friends of Oakland Animal Shelter(FOAS) on Sunday. A gift of $426.23, to be exact. The students decided to raise money for FOAS because one student’s family had adopted an animal from us several years ago, and it was now a beloved family pet. By asking for a donation for the buttons shown in the picture below, the girls not only raised money for the shelter, but also educated their fellow students about animal cruelty by handing out a fact sheet that accompanied the button.
We are so thankful for the effort and generosity of these students.
Cat Fosters Baby Bunny
A rabbit was dropped off with her pink, newborn bunny last week. However, the mother stopped taking care of the baby properly. Rabbits leave their babies alone for hours at a time in their nest and only feed them a few times a day. However, this bunny was actually attacking her baby and the little one was rapidly losing weight so we knew we had to do something. A day after the rabbit was left with us, a citizen surrendered his female cat to us while she was giving birth. The cat was a very dedicated mother with strong maternal insticts. We decided to try to give the baby bunny to her to foster. She took in the baby immediately and made her part of her litter – cleaning her and letting it feed just like any of her other kittens. See the video.
Free Fur All June 4 and 5
“Free Fur All”: OAS Gears up for Maddie’s Matchmaker Adoptathon
Oakland Animal Services (OAS) is again gearing up for what promises to be a “Free Fur All” on Saturday, June 4, and Sunday, June 5. That weekend, OAS will be taking part in the second annual Maddie’s Matchmaker Adoptathon through animal foundation Maddie’s Fund. Throughout that weekend, dog and cat adoptions will be free to qualified homes—FREE—and, better yet, each successful adoption will earn the shelter a generous donation from Maddie’s Fund of anywhere from $500 to $1,500.
“This year, again, the event is open to both dog and cat adoptions—and puppies and kittens, too, of course—and regular OAS adoption guidelines will apply,” OAS Director Megan Webb explained. “We adopted 133 dogs and cats during the adoptathon last year, which raised $66,500 for the shelter! These funds were critical to offsetting a large decrease in the shelter’s operations budget and allowed us to pay for necessary veterinary supplies and equipment and medications for our shelter’s animals.”
Based on experience with last year’s adoptathon, Oakland Animal Services has created an even more streamlined adoption process for the two-day event. Anyone who is interested in adopting during the adoptathon can come to the shelter to be “pre-screened” beginning May 28 to make their experience finding an animal companion at the event as efficient as possible.
This year, animals from OAS will be featured not only at the city’s shelter at 1101 29th Avenue, Oakland, but also at the Stoneridge Shopping Center in Pleasanton and Woof Boarding and Day Care in San Ramon.
The umbrella event, “Maddie’s Matchmaker Adoptathon,” which is open to animal groups in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, is the inspiration of Maddie’s Fund, the foundation funded by Workday and PeopleSoft founder Dave Duffield and his wife, Cheryl. The goal of Maddie’s Fund, named in memory of the Duffields’ miniature Schnauzer, Maddie, is to revolutionize “the status and well-being of companion animals,” by guaranteeing all healthy and treatable shelter dogs and cats loving homes. Through the event, Maddie’s Fund hopes to spotlight the many groups whose efforts save countless dogs and cats each year.
Hours for the Oakland Animal Services’ “Free Fur All” will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 5.
Oakland Animal Services’ animals will be shown at three locations during the event:
1. Oakland Animal Shelter, 1101 29th Ave, Oakland, CA
2. Stoneridge Shopping Mall,
One Stoneridge Mall, Pleasanton, CA 94588 (Grand Court Event Area is the Command Center for this Pet Adoptathon)
3. Woof Doggy Day Care and Hotel
25 Beta Court Suite N
San Ramon, CA 94583
925-855-9663
Dog Found Exactly One Year Later
5/15/11 An Email from a Citizen:
I’d like to share our wonderful experience with Officer Strong and 3 other members of your team. The professionalism and care and concern for the dog’s well being and comfort were amazing. Despite your limited staffing and heavy demands, the thorough attention and follow up phone calls – especially today’s (Sunday morning) call from Officer Strong with news of the dog being reunited with the owners – were outstanding.
The Story of the Dog Under Their Porch
Cleo was adopted from the East Bay SPCA one year and two days ago. She had just begun settling into her new home near Skyline and bonding with her new human companions when something spooked her and she took off. Her family searched and searched for her. They even put out items of their son’s clothing -hoping the scent would bring her back. No sign of her.
Oakland Animal Services’ received a call of a stray dog near Broadway. We put out a dog trap and we were called when a dog was caught. It was Cleo! Animal Control Officers Pan and Ayala coaxed Cleo out of the trap and got her onto a leash. They were suprised to learn she had a microchip when they scanned her. They called the owners who couldn’t believe she had been found. It was exactly one year ago today that she disappeared. Once again, this story reminds us of the power of the microchip!
Fox in Oakland
(From the Oakland Tribune) Helen Wren doesn’t have a fox in the henhouse.
She has a family of gray foxes — a mom, dad and six babies — living underneath the rear deck of her home on Elvessa Street in the East Oakland hills. With the numerous trees and bushes on her acre of property, it is like a country scene in the middle of an urban area.
“It’s a little bit exciting,” said Wren, a retired high school English and history teacher who first spotted the kit Sunday morning although she thinks they have been there longer. She said it looked like the babies are a week to 10 days old, “like little kittens.”
She said the mother is “a real tiny thing. I didn’t know they could have such a big litter.” She is pretty sure the babies were born in her backyard and the parents decided to make their den underneath her deck.
She said the foxes drink water out of a backyard bird bath and her grandchildren have seen the parents catch a mouse and a bird for their meals.
Wren has lived in her house since 1986 and has seen deer, turkeys, raccoons and possums but never any foxes.
“It’s like science in your own backyard,” she said, adding she has scoured the Internet to find out as much as she can about her new visitors. “I’ve become attached to these animals.”
Her grandchildren, 9-year-old Zion and 8-year-old Naya, have developed a fondness for the foxes but she is worried about the animals’ well-being, especially with the number of animal predators in the nearby wooded areas.
Even “the birds around here are vicious,” she said.
Wren has seen the foxes both at dusk and in the morning and has captured pictures of them. One of the adults — she thinks it is the father — keeps a constant watch on the little ones and she has heard it howl “like it was trying to warn the little ones about something. They seem to have a strong family structure.”
On Tuesday, she called police and the city Animal Services Section to determine what to do with them. After talking to Animal Services Director Megan Webb, who contacted wildlife rescue experts, it was decided she would let the family stay for a few weeks when they would probably leave on their own with a little encouragement.
Webb said the Oakland hills are a natural habitat for foxes and that radio noises and lighting would probably “make them move to a better location.” Experts say the baby foxes usually learn to hunt on their own at 3 months.
Wren said she is happy having the foxes stay. “I think they have a better chance of survival, and the grandkids are very happy they’re going to be around for awhile longer.”
Webb said foxes are “savvy critters,” which is probably why the parents picked underneath the deck to live. “It’s easy to hide and it’s quiet.”
Webb said she has no doubt the foxes, who are “very, very amazing hunters” will survive on their own. And there is another plus for Wren:
“She won’t have a rodent problem,” Webb said.
Fawn Rescue
This little black-tailed deer fawn was found by citizens in the middle of a street in Oakland. She was dazed and her mother was no where to be found. They called us and an Animal Control Officer picked her up and brought her to the Shelter for evaluation. We decided to transfer her to Lindsay Wildlife Center in Walnut Creek where she could receive additional care. We prepared her for the trip by giving her fluids, warming her up and giving her medicine to calm her – deer can die simply from fright so this was an important step. We hope the little deer does well!
This is the season for baby fawn. Here is some information from Yggdrasil Wildlife Center about helping fawn:
I found a baby deer (fawn). What do I do?
* The mother only comes to feed the young two or three times a day. Otherwise, the young fawns are left alone while their mother is out searching for food to make more milk. Even if you are watching carefully, you may not see the mother return to her young. Do not assume the baby(s) are orphaned simply because you do not see the mother! Fawns will wander a bit. When the mother returns to the area, she calls to her young and they come to nurse.
If a fawn is seen lying upright, eyes wide open, but flattened to the ground, do not touch it. This is a fawn’s camouflage position. It blends with its surroundings. When it is picked up it will hold its legs tight against its body with its head forward. Its legs are not broken. Sometimes the fawn allows its body to become limp and dangle in your hands. Put it down, walk away and leave it alone. This fawn is too small to follow the doe for the long distance she must travel to find enough food to make milk for her baby. A doe may leave her baby alone for up to 6 hours at a time in her search to find food. Doe’s milk is very rich and will sustain the fawn for the many hours it spends alone. The doe will return only when there are no humans nearby. Do not sit and wait for her to return. If you have removed the fawn from its resting spot take it back at once and walk away. The doe will be searching for her fawn.
* Deer are extremely high-stress animals; they can die from fear. Petting the fawn, talking to it, holding it, does not comfort it. This is a wild animal. Human voices, odor and touch only add to the stress and will cause additional harm besides the illness or injury. When a fawn seems calm it may be in shock.
If a fawn is obviously ill, lying on its side, kicking, crying – pick it up and place it in a quiet place. A light cloth placed over the animal’s head will sometimes calm it. Keep it away from pets and all human activity. If the weather is cold, a blanket may be placed over its body to keep it from becoming chilled. In hot weather a cool location, out of drafts, and call your local wildlife center.
*Deer have sensitive digestive tracts. DO NOT FEED THE FAWN ANYTHING other than water. Baby formula, cow’s milk, feed store mixes, pet store domestic animal formulas, soy products – will cause scouring, dehydration and death. CALL A WILDLIFE CENTER at once for help. Yggdrasil = 510-421-YUWR, Linday Wildlife = 925-935-1978 or Wild Rescue = 831.429.2323
Nina Moves to New Hampshire
Read here.
Lost for Two Years! The Power of the Microchip!
Reunited 5/5/11: The little poodle “Blue” was reunited with his family yesterday after he had been lost for over 2 years! We were able to reunite him because of his microchip! Thank you to ACA Pi for beautifying him before his big visit with his family – he was pretty dirty when he first came in!
See video of reunion here. Thank you to Enjel for the video!
Photos of Blue when he came in:
This little old adorable poodle was brought in as a stray today. Thankfully, he had a microchip! Animal Control Officer Strong called the phone number from the microchip company and the woman who answered couldn’t believe that she was calling about her dog. She proceeded to tell Strong that they had lost the dog two years ago from her home in Rio Linda, California! He was 9 years old then and he’s now 11. He’s covered in dirt and terribly matted. Who knows what adventures he’s been through during the last 2 years or how he made it to Oakland. His owners are driving to Oakland tomorrow to see him for the first time in years!
Not only was this poodle found today, but we also impounded this black and white pit bull with a microchip. Her microchip led Animal Control Officer Leo Ayala to contact the dog’s owner in Sacramento. She’s been searching for her dog all over Sacramento since Friday. She has no idea how her dog got to Oakland and she would have never found her if her dog was not microchipped.
We also got in a lost kitty today with a microchip. Her microchip leads back to Hawaii! Sadly, when Animal Control Officer Elena Hocking tried to call the phone number it was out of order. She will send a letter to the address in hopes that the owner still lives there or has had their mail forwarded to their new home. It is always very sad for us when we get an animal with a microchip but the owner hasn’t updated the information in the microchip company’s database. Please make sure to call your animal’s microchip company regularly to make sure the contact information is right!
How to update your pet’s microchip: Every microchip is issued by a specific company – such as Home Again, 24 Hour Pet Watch, Trovan, etc. This company keeps a database of the microchip number which links to the owner’s pet information. The microchip only contains the microchip number – not the pet’s information. So, it is critical to update the microchip company anytime your contact information changes. To find out what company to contact, you can look at the paperwork you received when your pet was microchipped or you can go to any animal shelter or veterinary clinic to have your pet scanned. Each microchip company has unique microchip numbers. You can put the microchip number into this online form which will tell you the name/contact information for the microchip company.
We microchip Oakland animals for $10! Please spay and neuter and microchip your animals!