You could tell right away that Rodney would have a Big Adventure someday. It wasn’t that he was a big dog, Rodney just did everything in a big way. He jumped with enthusiasm, he outran other dogs and people, and he tugged Oakland Animal Services (OAS) volunteers around on walks. Rodney had big energy.
And that was a problem. Most potential adopters would conclude that Rodney was “too much.” So over his weeks and then months at the shelter, volunteers focused on teaching him good dog manners, took him on outings, and, to keep him socialized, supervised rough-and-tumble play dates with other shelter dogs. They learned that he always wanted to do the right thing, even if his big energy got the better of him sometimes. And they loved him.
Four months after his arrival, Rodney still had not been adopted and was showing signs of kennel stress. Volunteers knew they had to go the extra mile for him… literally! Longmont Humane Society in Colorado agreed to take Rodney in. So with transportation costs funded by Friends of Oakland Animal Services, two volunteers climbed into a rental car and drove Rodney the 1,200 miles to Colorado.
Together, volunteers and dog drove through sun, rain, and snow for three days, finally arriving safely at the shelter – where Rodney happily jumped on the reception desk. So began Rodney’s Big Adventure.
Rodney’s story is just one example of how transfers — made possible through the efforts of OAS volunteers and staff, plus the strong partnerships that have been built with other organizations have made a big difference for Oakland Animal Services. Being the only open-admission shelter in Oakland means OAS takes in every animal that comes through its doors – the strays, the unwanted, the abused – and that means a lot of animals needing care in a given year. (The total animal intake in 2004 was 4,408; in 2012 it was 6,342 – with an average of 350 animals in residence every day.)
As animal intake numbers have increased and city funding has been unable to keep pace, OAS staff and volunteers have turned to their partners for help and found incredible support. OAS now partners with more than two dozen rescue organizations, both local and across the country, and these combined efforts have resulted in increasingly positive news for the animals. In 2012, OAS saw a significant increase in the percentage of animals accepted by other rescue agencies, transferring 23% of dogs and 40% of cats in 2012, versus 19% of dogs and 28% of cats in 2011.
Each OAS partner helps to the extent possible. Some take one or two animals; others take many more. But the bottom line is that due to these relationships, OAS is able to place many more animals into homes, making room for the many more coming through the doors each day. The San Francisco SPCA stepped up to help the hundreds of underage kittens that are brought to OAS during kitten season by taking them into their foster program. Safe Cat Foundation took in some of the cats testing positive for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and placed them in homes.
With Oakland Animal Services being selected by Bay Woof readers as one of the Bay Area’s favorite municipal animal shelters, it seemed right to share one of our successful practices – transfers. Like so many efforts in the animal rescue community, success comes thanks to the contributions of many. Our transfer partners’ endless support made 2012 a brighter year for animals. And looking forward, we know that we can do even better by our animals each year.
Oh, and about Rodney…. Sometimes it takes a Big Adventure to get things going in the right direction. A few weeks after the OAS volunteers transported Rodney to Colorado, a young couple met him and loved his big energy. Rodney finally found a family that appreciates doing things in a big way…the perfect start to another promising partnership.
Amy Bauman, Jamin Hawks, Pat Luchak, Lindsay Rajt, and Yvonne Tsang are volunteers with Oakland Animal Services (OAS) and all are proud dog owners. OAS is dedicated to improving the relationship between residents of the Bay Area and local animals, ensuring both public safety and animal welfare. For further info about the shelter and all its available cats, dogs, rabbits, and other animals, visit us online at www.oaklandanimalservices.org or in person at 1101 29th Ave. in Oakland.
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Main article photo by: Jessica Flash/Steve Emerson
