Originally housed in a small facility on Ford Street, Oakland Animal Services began as the city’s municipal shelter, handling all of Oakland’s animal-related issues. Though intended for temporary use, the Ford Street shelter served the city for almost 50 years until the much-needed construction of a new building was completed in the late 1990s. The creation of the larger, modern facility at 1101 29th Avenue began a gradual evolution of the city’s approach to sheltering—from that of a “pound” to Oakland Animal Services (OAS)—a center for animals in Oakland.
In January 2015, OAS was moved from the Oakland Police Department and became a stand-alone agency under the oversight of the Oakland City Administrator’s Office.
Oakland Animal Services is an open admissions shelter, accepting any of Oakland’s homeless, injured, orphaned, unwanted, lost, abandoned and mistreated animals, including companion animals, farm animals, exotic animals, and native wildlife — every animal brought to our door is welcome, regardless of age, breed, temperament or medical condition. With the assistance of a dedicated group of volunteers and Friends of Oakland Animal Services, OAS saved the lives of more than 5,000 homeless, injured, orphaned, unwanted, abandoned, and/or mistreated companion animals in 2015 alone (this includes all companion animals saved, not only dogs and cats), has one of the few nationally recognized rabbit programs in the country and features improved housing and indoor/outdoor play areas for animal enrichment.
OAS is a point of pride for Oakland, and will continue to push the envelope on what a municipal services agency can do for the community’s animals.
