Community hears Oakland animal shelter's urgent plea, 90 pets adopted over weekend
OAKLAND – After Oakland Animal Services announced all their kennels were full last week, dozens of community members heeded the call to adopt a rescue pet over the weekend.
In an email to KPIX 5, director Ann Dunn said Monday that 72 dogs and 18 cats were adopted.
"We saw an incredible outpouring of support from Oakland and beyond," Dunn said.
Late last week, the shelter made an urgent plea as it announced more than 100 dogs were available for adoption and every dog kennel was full.
Shelter officials said during the pandemic, about 30% fewer animals were being brought in and as more people worked from home, they rushed to bring home a new animal friend. Recently, things took a hard turn.
"People have been struggling economically throughout the pandemic and I think we're really starting to see the impact of that where people who love their dogs – and the last thing they want to do is bring them here – are bringing them here," Dunn told KPIX 5 last week.
Dunn also pointed to an influx of large breed dogs that can be difficult to home in an environment where housing is scarce and renters are not always welcomed to keep larger pets.
"We're seeing an increase in the number of German Shepherds and Huskies coming in and that's relatively new," she said. "It used to be that we're seeing mostly pit bulls."
In response, the shelter extended operating hours and slashed adoption fees to $20 over the weekend to help the animals find a new home. Normally, the fee is $150.
Additional information about animal adoption can be found by visiting https://www.oaklandanimalservices.org/adopt/how-to-adopt/.