2014 Year in Review

New beginningsDear friends,

We are delighted that Rebecca Katz, former director of San Francisco Animal Care and Control, is the new director of Oakland Animal Services. We look forward to working with her to support OAS as it undergoes its transition out of the Oakland Police Department and into the shelter that Oakland needs—a humane place for animals and those who care for them. To find out more about the transition to the City Administrator’s department and the Community Advisory Committee that is providing recommendations for best practices at OAS, visit the city of Oakland web site at www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/CityAdministration/OAK048300.

Be part of the wave of positive changes at OAS. Sign up for an Open House for a tour of the shelter and find out about ways you can help, whether by volunteering, adopting, donating, or simply spreading the word about adoptable animals at Oakland Animal Services. If you are interested in fundraising, events, or grant writing, we’d love to talk with you. E-mail us at oaklandsanimals@gmail.com.

Thank you for caring about the animals in your community. We couldn’t do this life-saving work without your continued support.

Gratefully,

Yvonne Tsang, President

Martha Cline, Treasurer

Susan Furukawa, Secretary

One of FOAS’s core funding areas is medical care for sick or injured animals. The shelter has a small budget for medical needs and no overnight staff for urgent care. FOAS pays for vet bills at local emergency care clinics and also covers surgeries, x-rays, blood tests, dental cleanings, and spay/neuters that can’t be performed on-site. FOAS also helps stock the vet room with medications such as Ponazuril for treating coccidia, flea treatment, and heartworm tests. Here are just two of our favorite stories this year:

Roxy limped into the shelter with a bad leg that had been broken and fused incorrectly. FOAS paid for the expensive surgery to have the leg reset rather than the less expensive route of amputation. A foster home took Roxy in to recover after the surgery, where she is now

one of the family.

Rolo was a friendly bulldog, but with two cherry eyes (a minor medical condition), he wasn’t looking good to potential adopters. FOAS paid for his surgery and neuter, and within a few days, Rolo was adopted.

Mr. Hunk, an FIV-positive cat, found refuge at Safe Cat Foundation after

FOAS paid for his neuter.

Roxy before surgery (top) and after (above)

Rolo before surgery (above) and after (left)

medical care

going the extra mile to find homesFrom January to September 2014, 74% of dogs and cats at the shelter went to rescue groups and other animal shelters. For small dogs, one of the most effective rescue routes is on flights to shelters out of state where small-dog overpopulation is not a problem.

These flights have made happy endings possible for hundreds of dogs. None of this would have been possible without the hard work of a true village of animal lovers: OAS staff and volunteers, rescue groups, foster families, pilots, and the support of people like you. FOAS and its donors have funded numerous flights and also spay/neuter surgeries, heartworm tests, and other medical treatment needed before some dogs can fly out of state.

Floyd and Flanagan (above left) were flown to Rescued Hearts Northwest in Washington state. Another OAS alum, Ruby (above right), is now the constant companion of Marg, thanks to the Dachsund Rescue Team.

Ronnie and Dillon made it from Oakland to Size Small Dog Rescue

in British Columbia, Canada!

order your 2015 calendar

While flights of 10–15 dogs are most common, some dogs just need extra TLC. One special gal, Piper, was accepted into the adoption program at Sioux Empire Pit Rescue in South Dakota. FOAS paid for her spay and the flight—one way!—where she landed in the arms of her foster family.

You will find many more happy endings and heartwarming photos in our 2015 calendar, available online for a $20 donation (or 3 for $50). Go to www.oaklandanimalservices.org/donate to get yours.

Eight-month-old Owen needed a ride to Shar Pei Rescue in Redding, an 8-hour round trip. A staff member volunteered for the road trip while FOAS covered the cost of gas.

2015: ten years of saving livesFriends of Oakland Animal Services turns 10 in 2015. To celebrate, we have set 10 goals for the year:

1. Help Oakland Animal Services increase the number of adoptions and transfers.

2. Boost funding for transportation (road or air) to other agencies who will take OAS dogs into their adoption program. (We were given a grant from the ASPCA!)

3. Better support our rescue partners by funding spay/neuter surgeries and other services.

4. Start community spay/neuters for feral cats at the shelter.

5. Support the vet staff so that animals are spayed and neutered in a timely fashion.

6. Provide more enrichment for animals during their stay at the shelter.

7. Support the development of a foster program at OAS.

8. Engage more people on social media so we can better promote adoptable animals and OAS services.

9. Redesign the OAS web site so that it’s more mobile- and user-friendly.

10. Celebrate with you!

Stay tuned for our 10-year-anniversary party. We can’t wait to celebrate with all our friends and supporters!

Help us meet our goals in 2015! Donate online at www.oaklandanimalservices.org/donate or by mailing a check to Friends of Oakland Animal Services at P.O. Box 3132, Oakland, CA 94609.

FOAS covered a special vet visit for Nimbus to figure out why he

couldn’t eat properly.

Claire KilpatrickCindy DouglasClaremont Veterinary HospitalDeloitteSteven Dooley and Butler ScheinHappy HoundMaddie’s FundNoble Veterinary ClinicPet Food ExpressPETS Emergency (Berkeley)Pets UnlimitedSan Francisco SPCAScience DietSAGE Centers for Veterinary Specialty

& Emergency Care (Dublin)UC Davis Shelter Medicine ProgramVCA Bay Area Animal HospitalWag HotelsWhole Foods Market Oakland

❊ special thanks ❊Big thanks to the following supporters and donors:

Left: Graysea, a terrier mix, was hit by a car. After FOAS paid for her x-ray, East Bay SPCA performed femur surgery and provided a foster home. Above: the running of the Chihuahuas! Small-dog playgroups run by staff and volunteers help these little ones stay socialized and happy.

Heartfelt thanks to our hardworking volunteers who go above and

beyond for OAS animals.

Like us on Facebook, check us out on Yelp, and follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/oaklandsanimals), Pinterest (pinterest.com/oaklandsanimals), and Instagram (instagram.com/oaklandanimalservices).

how you can helpWe depend on your donations to help Oakland’s animals. Friends of Oakland Animal Services is volunteer-run, with minimal administrative overhead. Our federal tax ID number is 20-4053711 and donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Make a donation in honor of a loved one for the holidays, and we’ll send them a card acknowledging your gift. Just leave a comment with the person’s name and address.

some other ways to donate:

Get our 2015 calendar. The perfect gift for yourself or the animal lover in your life, our 2015 calendar is full of heartwarming stories and beautiful photos of shelter animals. Yours for a $20 donation, or 3 for $50. Visit www.oaklandanimalservices.org/calendar to order.

Buy from our Amazon.com wish list. Buy items for the shelter directly from our wish list on Amazon.com. Please note: due to Amazon’s privacy terms, we do not get names or addresses of wish list donors. Please e-mail oaklandsanimals@gmail.com if you would like a written acknowledgment of your gift.

Shop on Amazon? Select Friends of Oakland Animal Services through Amazon Smile (smile.amazon.com) and Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase price to FOAS.

Shop at Lucky? Swipe your SHARES card and up to 3% of the price of qualified purchases will be donated to FOAS. It’s easy and free! Just e-mail foasshares@gmail.com with your address and we’ll mail you a card.

P.O. Box 3132, Oakland, CA 94609www.oaklandanimalservices.orgoaklandsanimals@gmail.comTax ID: 20-4053711