Join OAS and Our Pack Saturday August 6th at 12:30 for a FREE Pit Bull 101 class. Whether you have a pit bull type dog at home or are curious about getting one, this class will answer all your questions. Humans ONLY! Please leave your dogs at home.
News
Bikini travels south
The plight of surrendered animals in the New York Times
A great story about animal care agencies in the area and their response to increases in surrendered animals. Megan Webb, OAS Director comments on the number of animals surrendered that are actually healthy and happy enough to go into the OAS adoption program. Read the full article here.
21 Rabbits Rescued
The East Bay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (EBSPCA) and Oakland Animal Services (OAS) – a unit of the Oakland Police Department, collaborated last week to rescue 21 rabbits from an Oakland home. The case, in which rabbits were being raised for food in inhumane conditions, highlights issues related to citizens raising livestock animals in the urban City of Oakland. On Tuesday, June 22nd, a humane advocate from the East Bay SPCA visited a home to follow up on a complaint concerning rabbits; Oakland Animal Services and an Oakland Police patrol units responded to assist. At the home near Lake Merritt, they found multiple rabbits in two small, wire cages in the backyard. In a thorough search of the yard, the rescue team found additional rabbits hidden under a plastic tub on the side of the house. Living conditions for the animals were deemed inhumane. No food or water was visible for any of the animals. The owner of the rabbits, who was allegedly raising the rabbits for food, had been feeding them only white rice. The animals were transported to the EBSPCA where veterinary staff examined them. From the original 21 animals, three required additional veterinary care. These three, including a baby rabbit with deformed back legs most likely a result of poor nutrition, remained at the EBSPCA. The remaining 18 rabbits were transported to Oakland Animal Services, increasing the city shelter’s rabbit population from 32 to 50. OAS is working closely with SaveABunny, a rabbit rescue organization based in Mill Valley, CA, to find placement for these rabbits and is asking anyone who may be interested in adopting a bunny to contact the shelter. Oakland Animal Services and East Bay SPCA regularly receive calls from citizens who are concerned about livestock in their neighborhood—whether because of the smell, the noise, and/or inhumane living conditions. Oakland Animal Services is participating in the City of Oakland Planning Department’s efforts to update the City’s zoning regulations for urban agriculture. “We want to ensure there is oversight in place on livestock in the City to prevent an increase in the number of inexperienced individuals raising and slaughtering animals inhumanely,” says Webb. For additional information on the rabbits or on Oakland Animal Services, contact Megan Webb, Director, Oakland Animal Services, 510-535-5604, www.oaklandanimalservices.org. Rabbits were found in two small wire cages, one hidden in a plastic container and three in a plastic pail under a piece of carpet. |
A mother’s love
Update 6/30/11: Foster mom and puppy were taken by PetsUnlimited today for their adoption program. Thank you!
This little chihuahua puppy was surrendered to OAS this week from a citizen who could no longer care for her after receiving her as a gift.
The puppy was distressed having been too young when she was weaned and separated from her mother (it is illegal to sell puppies in California younger than 8 weeks old). We tried to pair the puppy with several female dogs; most of which growled, barked or ignored the baby when she was put in a kennel with them.
This mama however, immediately became excited, tail wagging, upon sight of the puppy. She has taken the baby in and quickly took to cleaning and comforting her. They are quite happy together and can be found all snuggled up in their kennel together.
Hudson and Tallulah
They just don’t come any cuter than this. Although these dogs look like they are twins, they are really just the best of friends. Hudson was adopted from OAS 2 years ago and was recently surrendered by his owner. Both are amazing dogs looking for amazing families to adopt them. Both animals are spayed/neutered and ready to go with you today!
166 Animals Adopted in Two Days! Thank you to Maddie’s and Many More!
We had an incredible weekend participating in the second annual Maddie’s Matchmaker Adoptathon! We adopted 93 dogs and 73 cats to loving, qualified homes in just two days! List of adopted animals here. And, the Maddie’s Foundation will donate over $100,000 to Oakland Animal Services to help support our work to adopt animals and improve the quality of life of animals at the shelter. We have a lot of people to thank for their hard work.
Maddie’s Foundation:
Of course, we want to thank Maddie’s Foundation for creating and supporting the Adoptathon — inspiring more than 70 organizations across Alameda and Contra Costa counties to go above and beyond what they thought was ever possible. Last year, we adopted 133 dogs/cats at the Adoptathon, a number we could have never expected, and then this year we adopted 166! We are inspired to see how we can increase our adoptions daily.
Our Wonderful Staff, Mentors, and Volunteers:
This event took weeks of planning and preparation by staff and volunteers.The animals had to be prepared for adoption, including temperament tested, spayed/neutered, photographed, groomed and their information uploaded to our website. Our PR committee and volunteers worked on getting the word out about the event. They put together a spreadsheet together of all of the animals and their medical needs which Roger Davies then converted into an incredibly useful website that showed and tweeted all of the animals adopted in real time! And, of course, during the days of the event, staff and volunteers helped citizens find their perfect animal, educated them on their new animal’s needs, and helped them complete all of the paperwork to finalize their adoption. What a team!
See video of staff and volunteers: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150267807487664&oid=119220341425722&comments
Woof Doggy Day Care and Hotel
Woof was a huge part of the event’s success. Jacque Preble, the Owner of Woof, opened up her boarding facility to hold dogs and cats for the event so they could be close to the Stoneridge Shopping Center to be shown at the Maddie’s site location and Woof served as a site for the event too! We had many dogs and cats adopted out of these locations. They also groomed many of these dogs. Thank you to all of Woof’s staff for volunteering to help at the event and taking care of our animals during their stay! You guys are amazing!
Happy Hound Daycare
Thank you to Happy Hound for donating their time to groom and beautify so many of our dogs before the event. This definitely helped them get adopted! Thank you to all of the volunteers who drove them to and from Happy Hound for their spa sessions.
There are so many more people and groups to thank….we thank all of you!!!
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!
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