Berkeley Animal Care Services (BACS) is the municipal shelter responsible for taking care of the lost, abused, stray, and unwanted animals in the cities of Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville, and Piedmont. In 2011, BACS provided a safe haven to over two thousand dogs, cats, and other animals.
But BACS is much more than just another city shelter: In addition to a caring, committed, and knowledgeable staff, nearly 600 volunteers collectively give some 400 hours of their time each week, supporting groundbreaking programs in pit bull placement, feral cat management, and community services.
This cooperation, enthusiasm, and compassion point to why BACS has one of the highest live release rates for a municipal facility in the nation. In April 2009, BACS received a prestigious Maddie’s Fund Lifesaving Award, which recognized the shelter’s work in finding homes for all healthy and treatable shelter pets.
Now, BACS is about to take another big step forward: Next summer, the shelter’s residents are moving out of the well-worn shelter that has existed on Second Street in West Berkeley since the 1950s and into a state of the art new building across the street. Christened the Dona Spring Animal Shelter, the new facility will better accommodate animals’ physical, psychological, and emotional needs. Most importantly, the facility will include an on-site clinic for animals housed in the shelter.
Once set up, the new medical clinic will help the shelter provide a greater range of services for the city’s homeless animals. Currently, an estimated 20% of shelter pets require some kind of veterinary care. The on-site clinic will enable the shelter to perform spay and neuter surgeries, administer vaccinations, and deliver emergency medical care to animals in crisis more quickly, economically, and comprehensively, with less stress on the animals.
But while money for the bricks and mortar was provided by a 2002 Berkeley bond measure, money to outfit the on-site clinic still needs to be raised. And that’s where Friends of Berkeley Animal Care Services comes in: The newly-formed, all-volunteer nonprofit (known as Friends of BACS) was created by volunteers in 2011 to raise the funds necessary to equip the Berkeley animal shelter’s new facility with medical equipment and furnishings.
To that end, Friends of BACS is hosting a gala event – Power to the Paws! – on October 18th at the David Brower Center in Berkeley. Hosted by author, monologuist, and Berkeley resident Josh Kornbluth, the evening will feature terrific food, live entertainment, a silent and live auction with fabulous offerings from local artists and businesses, tarot readings, and much more.
Power to the Paws!
Thursday, October 18, 7 – 10pm,
David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley
To purchase tickets or for additional info, please visit friendsofbacs.org/power-to-the-paws. If you are interested in donating goods or services to the silent or live auction, or providing food and beverages for the event, please email info@friendsofbacs.org.
Eleni Sotos serves as President of Friends of Berkeley Animal Care Services and DeAnna Dalton serves as Secretary. Full details about Power to the Paws! and the group’s other activities are available at friendsofbacs.org.
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Main article photo by: Courtesy Berkeley Animal Care Services
