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Sunday, 8/8: Kitten Adopt-a-thon at OAS! (Noon-5 p.m.)

Kittens are only $25, or two for $40, this Sunday only. Plus, adopt any already spayed/neutered adult cat FREE!

Come meet our wonderful older kitties in the “Wise Whiskers Lounge” on Saturday, August 7, from noon to 5.  Every adoption of a cat 8 years or older comes with a free gift package courtesy of Pet Food Express and two years of discounted vet services from Cheshire Cat! Your adoption also includes spay/neuter surgery, microchip, and vaccinations—FREE!  Indoor cats often live into their teens or even their 20s! They have lots of love left to give!

It’s time for my weekly volunteering shift at Oakland Animal Services. As I walk in, I hardly recognize that badly matted poodle we took in last week, who has been shaved and now sits up front in the adoption ward, eagerly greeting visitors. . . . I hear a family cooing over their new fluffy orange kitten. . . . Hey, there’s a goat in the courtyard! . . . At the front desk, a woman cries with joy and relief when she is reunited with her lost dog. . . . Five baby bunnies have been left in our night drop box. These moments capture a pretty typical day at OAS.

Five years ago, when I signed up to volunteer, I didn’t know that OAS was an open-access municipal shelter. My intentions were simple: I wanted to spend time with dogs and to give back to the community. I thought that volunteering would be about playing with dogs and puppies. After awhile I began to notice the staggering number of new animals that come in through the doors of OAS and the challenges that result from that overpopulation. As an open-access shelter, OAS is the only facility in Oakland that takes in any and all animals, no matter what breed or species, age or condition. Then it’s our job—the staff and volunteers—to care for them and find them good homes, whether that’s adopting them out directly or transferring them to one of the many private rescue groups we work with.

Today I think of OAS as ground zero of saving animals’ lives. I’m constantly amazed by how much OAS accomplishes. Unlike nonprofit, limited access shelters, OAS is a city agency that has the additional mandate of responsibilities such as picking up sick, dead, or stray animals in Oakland; licensing animals; investigating dog bites and potentially-dangerous-dog cases; and gathering evidence in abuse cases and seizing animals that are being cared for inadequately. OAS does all of this while managing hundreds of animals under one roof and working within a tight budget in a city struggling with a deficit. (It reminds me of that quote about Ginger Rogers doing everything that Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.)

While I started volunteering because of the animals, I kept coming back because of the people. I had wanted to give back to the community, but I’m the one who has benefited from the amazing group of dedicated people at OAS. It includes incredibly generous volunteers and staff who give so much of their time to both the animals and to each other. They give me the courage and support to keep going when times are tough.

It’s not always easy volunteering at an open-access shelter where euthanasia is a sad reality. We mourn for the lives that we can’t save: dogs who come in covered with scars from dog fighting, so undersocialized that they cannot relate to other dogs or to people; roosters seized from fighting busts who have nowhere to go. One thing I’ve always felt good about is knowing that there is no timeline for how long an animal will stay with us. Some of the cuter or more unusual breeds get adopted out in a week; others stay with us for over a year and become volunteer favorites.

For me, I’ve found that the best way to cope with the sadness of these shelter realities is to fight on in their memory, to work even harder to help the new animals that are coming in our doors every day. If you have an animal companion, then you know how much animals help keep you rooted in the present moment; it’s a gift. The shelter is a stressful place to live: animals do not get the space and attention that they need to fully express themselves. That’s why letting a dog out of his kennel to run free and be a dog makes a world of difference in his life. That’s the difference that we make. That’s why we are here.

Every time I walk into OAS I see this plaque at the entrance, inscribed with a quote by Gandhi: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” It reminds me why I keep doing this. Homeless animals are part of our community, and caring for them is a community responsibility, from the most passive end of the spectrum—paying taxes that fund OAS—to the most active—volunteering.

When I started volunteering, I had no idea what I was getting into. Yes, my work has made a difference in the lives of animals, and it’s given back to the community—just as I had hoped—but the biggest difference, the unexpected difference, is that it’s also changed my life. It’s made me a better person: a better dog handler; an advocate for animals; a member of an active, compassionate community. I am proud to be part of OAS.

— Yvonne, dog volunteer

Saturday, 7/10: Kitten Adopt-a-thon at OAS! (Noon-5 p.m.)

Kittens are only $25, or two for $40, this Saturday only. Plus, adopt any already spayed/neutered adult cat FREE!

Flying kitty!

Sunday, 7/11: Dog Days of Summer, Jack London Square! (10 a.m.-3 p.m.)

The East Bay SPCA is hosting its annual Adopt-a-thon in the heart of Jack London Square, and OAS will be there!  Come meet some of our adoptable dogs, cats and rabbits while you visit the farmer’s market!

Close to 50 employees from Deloitte Company came to the Shelter last week for their “Impact Day.”  They did work projects all through the Shelter, including weeding and chipping our dog play yard, painting murals, and painting our new surgery room!  It was incredible to see the amount of work they were able to accomplish as a large team.  Thank you Deloitte!

Thank you to Maddie’s Fund for supporting and making  “Free Fur All” Maddie’s Adoptathon at OAS this weekend such a huge success – to say the least!  We adopted 132 dogs and cats in two days – as many animals as we adopted in all the month of May!  It was an absolutely inspiring and energizing weekend.

The OAS volunteers and staff worked as a team to make this event happen!  To highlight some of their contributions:

-All of the mentors for their planning, preparation and input into the event!  And, for performing the “screening” part of each day which made it possible for us to do so many adoptions so efficiently and effectively!
-The ACO’s who completed the adoptions and dealt with red flags and the ACA’s who jumped in where needed
-Members of the publicity team (Amy B, Pat L, Yvonne, and Katie) for creating the press release and PSA’s to get the word out! And, to all of the volunteers who spread this info to their personal networks! We sure spread the word!  We were picked up on multiple TV channels, newspapers, radio stations and internet sites!
-Martha for working so hard to get the animal’s ready for the event – organizing spaying/neutering through UC Davis and OAS, ensuring temperament testing was completed and moving animals throughout the Shelter….a huge task!
-Yvonne for designing the flyer and forms for the day!
-The photographers (including Warren, Enjel, Tim, Martha and Michelle) who took the photos of all of the dogs and cats who were available for adoption – including those in the back!  For example, Tim and Martha took over 1000 photos of dogs on one day and then Tim reviewed and uploaded them to use! A big job!  The photographers made it possible to post their photos on the internet and in the adoption gallery – this was a huge part of getting so many animals adopted.
-Roger for creating a system to merge all of the data about each animal, including their photos, into individual profiles that he printed.  This was a big job!  Thank you to Martha and all of the volunteers who helped get this info into the system!
-Amy Haddix for taking on the tough role of being the “lead volunteer” on the first day during the busiest, most confusing time.  We could not have gotten through it without her hard work, leadership and organization!
-FOAS for covering the cost of all of the preparation for the event and providing lunch for everyone on both days!
-Chui for jumping in and doing anything that was needed to get the work done – including moving lots of heavy furniture to set up the classroom.
-All of the volunteers (and some of their friends/family) who participated in the event – showing animals, greeting members of the public, directing parking, setting and cleaning up, etc!  I had so many visitors tell me how welcomed they felt at the Shelter and how friendly the volunteers were! 
-Michelle, a rabbit volunteer, who worked at the greeting table every session of both days and provided important consistency;
-Elena and Tanya for decorating the Shelter.
-Mentors, including Steve and Mary, who helped get dog/cat testing done;
-Pi for grooming so many of the dogs who went from disgusting to distinguished to adopted because of her grooming skills!
-Lauren for entering all of the adoptions into our database and Roger for copying and tracking all of the paperwork to submit to Maddie’s.
-Members of the OAS vet staff who worked so hard to get so many of the animals spayed and neutered so they could leave immediately after adoption. They will be working hard this week to get the rest of the animals who were adopted spayed/neutered!
-Jan who set up Deloitte’s Impact Day at OAS for June 11th.  50 employees of Deloitte (and some OAS volunteers) came to OAS and beautified the Shelter the day before the event!

This was an event that took a large number of folks who each played a critical role in making it work.  Thank you to all of you!

(just one of our very happy adopters)

Adopt an animal for free on June 12 or 13 and make $500 for the shelter

Join us for a real “Free Fur All” when Oakland Animal Services hosts the Maddie’s Fund event “Maddie’s Matchmaker Adoptathon” on Saturday, June 12, and Sunday, June 13. That weekend, Maddie’s Fund will cover all adoption costs for both dogs and cats. Better yet, for each successful OAS adoption at the event, Maddie’s Fund will donate $500 to OAS!

Special extended hours for the “Free Fur All” will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 12, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 13.

“We’re preparing a large group of staff and volunteers for the two days to help as many people as possible find a dog or cat companion,” OAS Director Megan Webb explained. There will be a wide variety of cats and dogs available to adopt, including kittens, puppies, and small dogs.

“This is such an exciting opportunity—people not only get a wonderful animal companion for free but also make it possible for OAS to get $500 when they adopt,” Webb stated. “And then we’ll use these donations to improve the quality of life of animals at the shelter.”

Webb pointed out that the regular OAS adoption guidelines will apply that weekend.  And, although animals cannot be adopted free in advance of the event—and no animals can be put on “hold”—OAS encourages potential adopters to visit the shelter beforehand for prescreening, to ensure they qualify for an adoption.

“Maddie’s Matchmaker Adoptathon” is the inspiration of Maddie’s Fund, a foundation funded by Workday and PeopleSoft, founder, Dave Duffield, and his wife, Cheryl. As stated on the website, the goal of the foundation, named in memory of the Duffield family’s miniature Schnauzer, Maddie, is to create a “no-kill nation where all healthy and treatable shelter dogs and cats are guaranteed loving homes.” With the weekend’s event, Maddie’s Fund also hopes to spotlight the many groups whose efforts save countless dogs and cats each year.

Over 30 local citizens showed up at the Alameda County Courthouse this morning in bright white shirts to show their support for a stiff sentence for LaPreda Thomas who recently pled guilty to two felony counts of animal abuse.  LaPreda Thomas has been in Santa Rita jail since October 2009 when she was arrested and then charged with the abuse of 15 cats.   Oakland Police, including members from the Crime Investigations Division and Oakland Animal Services, performed two probation searches of LaPreda Thomas’ home in 2009 to investigate concerns that she was abusing animals.   Sick and injured cats were rescued from her home – some of the cats with breaks in every limb.  These cats were treated and fostered with the help of both Friends of Oakland Animal Services and Island Cat Resources.   

Judge Jacobson commented in the courtroom this morning that he had received many letters from citizens about the case and it was obviously one that people were taking very seriously.  He stated that Thomas obviously suffered from severe mental illness.  He sentenced her to  one year in county jail which she has nearly completed.  This will be followed by one full year in a dual diagnosis residential  program for treatment of mental illness and substance abuse issues.  Thomas is scheduled to be transferred directly from jail to the residential facility on June 14, 2010.  She was also sentenced to 5 years of felony probation.  She is not to own or possess any animals during her probation.  If she violates her probations, she will go to jail for three years and will not get any credit for the time she spent in the program.

Come to the shelter (1101 29th Ave) on Saturday May 29th at 2 p.m. to hear a 45 minute lecture followed by Q&A and a free handout.
The class will be taught by Our Pack.
Topics include:
– Having a successful relationship with your dog.
– Pit bulls and other pets.
– Dog parks.
– Meeting new dogs.
People only – NO DOGS PLEASE !

One of the ways we are able to place so many animals into homes is through our collaboration with non-profit organizations in the community.  For example, we work closely with Solano SPCA.  They came to the Shelter today and chose 17 of our dogs for their adoption program!  This gives them animals to adopt and gives us room to take in more animals who need to be rescued!  Please visit Solano SPCA here.