Although the majority of the animals we see here at the Oakland Animal Shelter are dogs and cats we do get a variety of other animals.  Some of these animals are less common pets, others are wildlife, and then some are animals who have been bred or raised for human use.  Just the other day we took in a colorful bird who had a metal ring through his bright red beak.  He was a Chukar Partridge raised to be hunted as a form of entertainment.  This guy somehow ended up out on his own and thanks to Animal Control Officer McKenna who found him he will get the chance to live the rest of his life in peace. 

Recently, Officer McKenna was faced with another case which involved hundreds of victims of human misuse.  These victims were 500 one day old chicks being mailed through the USPS.  Thanks to an observant postal worker Oakland Animal Services was called in to assist the chicks who were dying of overheating and overcrowded conditions.  They were shipped over 100 birds per small box with no water or food.  They had been put in the mail early Monday morning and by Tuesday afternoon several of the chicks had died and the others were dying.  And their journey had barely begun. This is when the postal worker called in OAS.  Officer McKenna responded and quickly removed the remaining birds (483 survived).  The shipper was contacted.  He surrendered the birds saying he was shipping them up north to be raised as “meat birds.” He said he shipped them out the morning they had hatched as this was the requirement by law.  He said he usually prefers not to send birds through the mail because several of the birds will die each time.  He called them “straight run” chickens and admitted it would not be worth his time to drive to Oakland and repackage them for shipping.  He hung up the phone saying “I hope you find them a home.”

Thankfully we now have rehomed almost all of the chicken as we said goodbye to 200 of them who went to Animal Acres in Southern California.  Thanks to East Bay Animal Advocates for helping to find a home for these chickens and for renting the van and driving them all down there. 

Sadly, the lives of these birds will not be normal.  Broiler chickens are bred to be obese and these birds will have countless health problems ahead of them and shortened lives.  It was hard, watching the chicks peeping and eating and flocking together, to understand how they could be boxed up and mailed with no more care than it takes to mail a letter. 

Unfortunately the shipping of chicks is a routine occurrence in the chicken business.  While a person would surely be prosecuted for shipping dogs under similar circumstances the death of chicks during shipping due to being crushed by other chicks or overheating is routine.  Chickens, along with other farm animals, in fact, are often subject to the most horrendous cruelty which, historically, is excused as “routine agricultural practice.” But things have been changing as the last couple of years have seen several cruelty prosecutions involving commercial food production and even more recently the seizure of animals being abused in commercial food production. 

This year the Humane Society of the United States has sponsored a ballot initiative in California that seeks to ban some of the most heinous practices in food production.  This ballot initiative would ban battery cages, where egg laying hens are crushed into overcrowded cages which cause injury and death to countless birds, along with veal crates and gestation crates (crates used to keep mother pigs cruelly confined).  Though this initiative does not address the mailing of living beings through the postal service it is a step in the right direction.  As a state, and as a country, we have to move away from thinking of these living beings as solely a commodity.  We must begin to respect and address their needs.  If we are to continue to use animals for our purposes we should have the decency to treat them as humanely as possible.   I urge you to support Proposition 2 on the November ballot if you want to help reduce the cruelty that food animals face in California.  To learn more about the proposition go to www.humanecalifornia.org. 

In California (Penal Code 597f), it is illegal to tether, fasten, chain, tie or restrain a dog to a stationary object, such as a dog house, tree or fence, unless the dog’s guardian is nearby and is performing a temporary task.  Dogs on a running line, pulley or trolley system can not be attached to it with a choke or pinch collar. 

The dog shown below is typical of many of the dogs we find chained in Oakland.  This dog is very skinny and weighs approximately 35 pounds but had been chained with a huge truck chain that weighed nearly 10 lbs. 

As Director of Oakland Animal Services I want to welcome you to our new website.  We are launching the site just as a new year is rolling in.  This month also marks six months that I have been with OAS.  The time has gone by so fast.  We are welcoming a lot of great new changes to OAS and I am excited about the future. 

For those reading this who have not yet been to our shelter I encourage you to visit.  Long gone are the days when OAS was the local “pound.”  In its place is a thriving shelter with many innovative programs.  There are many outdoor areas where dogs romp daily and get to play in groups.  Cats are taken out to socialize with each other and people in rooms full of toys, brushes, cat trees, and even a tv playing cat videos.  Our trainer works with dogs who are fearful or shy in order to make them better candidates for adoption.  We also work with many other agencies and groups to transfer animals from our shelter who may need a little more time or attention before they are ready for their new homes.   The Friends of Oakland Animal Shelter provides funding that enables us to treat injury and illness in animals who would have been euthanized previously.  And we are growing our partnerships with places like UC Davis, Pet Food Express, Noble Veterinary Clinic, and others all to find homes for the 6000 or so animals who come through our door each year.  Come and visit and see our amazing rabbit volunteers working with the rabbits and ensuring they all get a bit of fresh air in our courtyard.  We even have volunteers who come in exclusively to work with the rats we have in the shelter awaiting homes. 

We look forward to continuing this work in the new year and continuing to improve the lives of the animals in our shelter.  So many animals who come to OAS have been subject to horrible abuse or neglect and often this is the only place they have known a gentle word and a little kindness.  These animals who daily come into our doors in unbelievable numbers rely on OAS to help them in their time of need.  We are committed to each of these animals and do not take this responsibility lightly.  Unfortunately we have to make difficult decisions every day when faced with animals who have completely lost their trust of humanity and have become aggressive.  We look forward to a day when each and every animal who comes into our shelter will find a new home.  But we cannot do this alone.  We rely on the community to help us to change the culture of disposable animals.  It is a challenge we face as a city. 

I encourage each of you when looking for a new animal companion to adopt from a shelter, to encourage spaying and neutering of all animals, and to reject the notion of animals as a commodity to be bought and sold.  I have high hopes for the future for Oakland’s animals and hope that you will join me in helping OAS to continue to improve. 

For those who are interested, volunteer opportunities are plentiful at OAS.  Just visit are volunteer section of the website to learn more.  If you want to help provide for animals in need of medical care please look at the donations section of the website.  And please continue to visit the website for updates on events and ways to help OAS in the future.  Together we can make Oakland a “kindler, gentler” community for its animal residents.