The term “dog pound” is a negative, outdated one. It usually means a municipal agency that warehouses primarily dogs – but cats, too – for the legal hold time and then “puts down” whatever animals don’t get reclaimed by their owners. Dog pounds are noisy, crowded, and give little thought to showcasing the resident animals to increase their chances for adoption. In this stereotype of the pound, the cages are small, the lighting dim, and the smell horrendous.
Thankfully, those days are long gone in the city of Oakland and our shelter at 1101 29th Ave. is something to be proud of. The building is modern with lots of fresh air circulating. It has great lighting, spacious kennels for our dogs, and comfy condos for our cats.
Today, the defining measure of success for shelters is a term called “live release.” There are four different possibilities for animals at a shelter: adoption, transfer to other rescue organizations, being reclaimed by owners, or euthanasia. If an animal leaves the shelter alive, that’s a live release. Obviously the higher percentage of “saves” a shelter has, the better job it is doing.
Our local humane societies and nonprofit rescue groups are saving 90% or more of all animals coming in. They do a phenomenal job and here in the Bay Area we have some of the most progressive and successful agencies in the US. You might wonder where that leaves the municipal shelter in Oakland. Historically across the U.S., a municipal “pound” might save only 20-25% of its population, and 20 years ago Oakland was, sadly, in that category.
But oh, how times change! The Oakland City Council decided that even though we are mandated to take in every stray, and even though many strays are unsocialized and hard to place, and even though many strays have medical issues, and even though money is tight, we could and should do better. A new, modern shelter was built, staffing was upgraded, and shelter management was tasked with trying to save more lives.
It hasn’t been easy and there is plenty more that can be done, but three years ago our live-release rate had climbed to 55% of all animals entering the shelter. Two years ago, under the management of a humane director with a caring staff augmented by about 130 passionate volunteers, the Oakland shelter saved 64% of its population. The single biggest key this past year has been how rescue groups have jumped in to help us out and they pushed us even higher, to 69.68%. That’s a phenomenal number for any municipality but watch out, here comes 2014.
We haven’t set a specific goal or target yet, but why can’t we be a leader in the live-release business? If the best agencies in the nation are saving 90%, then we can, too! We just need to work a little smarter, market a little better, partner with rescue groups a little more effectively, and expect success.
I can say unequivocally that every staff member and volunteer at the Oakland shelter wants to save more lives. To those that say “there just aren’t enough homes” for all the Pit Bulls and Chihuahuas that come through our doors, I’m here to tell you that Pit Bulls and Chihuahuas are the two most popular breeds in Oakland. That means that if we can get more folks to visit the shelter or if we take more four-legged friends out to where the people are, we’ll find homes for almost every one of them.
I’m happy to report that the stereotypical “pound” is a thing of the past in Oakland. I’m proud of our shelter, have great confidence in our staff and volunteers, and know that our future looks bright. I encourage everyone to come down to our shelter to see how much we’ve changed and find a friend for life.
Gary Hendel is the new director of Oakland Animal Services. Most recently he was the director of San Antonio Animal Care Services, a shelter that handled 31,000 animals a year. Gary is ecstatic about the opportunity to return home to the Bay Area where he grew up and went to college.
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Main article photo by: Courtesy Oakland Animal Shelter
