How the Public Can Help During Fire Crises
The City of Oakland’s Animal Services department (OAS) has mobilized to provide mutual aid to the communities in the North Bay affected by the multiple fires that continue to threaten the lives of residents and their pets, livestock and wildlife. Oakland Animal Services officers are returning to its shelter in Oakland with adoptable cats, dogs and other domestic species to free up space in shelters in Napa and Sonoma so that they can accommodate more animals affected by the fires. Oakland Animal Services encourages the public to consider adopting these pets and will be screening those qualified to adopt according to the usual criteria while suspending the normal adoption fee through October 22. Adoption details may be found below. Regular adoption screening will apply, and all adopted pets will have vaccinations, microchip and be spayed/neutered.
The Public Can Help Animals Affected by the Fires Via Oakland Animal Services:
- ADOPT
- FOSTER
- DONATE (Amazon wishlist and our Friends online donation portal)
- IN-KIND DONATIONS ON SITE: The Oakland Animal Services shelter can use gently used blankets and towels as well as comforts like dog treats, large Kongs, Temptations cat treats and veggies for rabbits. OAS staff are in regular contact with the shelters in the areas affected by the fires, they do not need any more in-kind donations at this time.
News from the Sonoma/Napa Shelters:
Like OAS and like most open door shelters (either governmental or those with government contracts), Sonoma County Animal Services and Napa County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center are the designated emergency response agencies tasked with coordinating all animal rescue efforts in their jurisdiction. Every day of the year they accept all at risk animals, including companion animals, farm animals, exotic animals, and wildlife. Every animal brought to the shelter is welcome, regardless of age, breed, temperament or medical condition. Municipal shelters do not have development or fundraising staff and yet they are doing the hard work every day of the year to help all animals in need. For those of you wanting to know how to help the animals displaced because of the fire, we have heard from Sonoma that they are seeking monetary donations for specialist supplies:
They do not need food or other supplies at this time and their adoptions are on hold.
Their website is being updated with animals displaced by the fires and they are trying to coordinate all lost and found animals through their website above.
Napa County needs help with transporting livestock and horses, emergency boarding for livestock and horses, hay and livestock feed. Please visit the Napa County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center Facebook page to get contact information if you can help.
The emergency is not over yet and the situation will most likely remain critical for the next several weeks or longer. We encourage your support throughout the duration of this emergency. If you want to help in addition to donating funds, you can adopt from the shelters in the Bay Area who are assisting in the relief efforts. As always, the open door shelters will continue to be open door locally as well as doing our part to help shelters in areas affected by the fires so that they can keep the displaced animals to facilitate reunification.