Oakland animal shelter population hits crisis levels as adoption hours extended
OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) — Several local animal shelters are busting at the seams, intaking more dogs than they are adoption requests. This means dogs that are perfectly healthy are being put on the list to be euthanized.
Shelters like Oakland Animal Services are asking for help.
Powell is a 4-year-old male dog up for adoption at Oakland Animal Services. He’s not alone on the adoption list and that’s the problem. So far this year, the shelter has been averaging an intake of 349 dogs a month.
The shelter dedicates its time to caring for animals in the hopes of finding forever homes, but currently, Director Ann Dunn has a crisis on her hands.
“Our population right now is the most we’ve had in over 15 years,” Dunn said.
Scott Peterson case returns to court with Innocence Project
The shelter’s intake is receiving at least 12 dogs a day, nearly 350 a month. According to Dunn, a big reason for the increase is that dog owners can’t afford to keep their pets.
“We are seeing a big increase in the number of people that are losing their housing since the eviction moratorium has ended, people that are choosing between being housed and having their pets,” Dunn said.
It’s a problem at other animal shelters in the Bay Area as well. San Francisco Animal Care and Control receives a lot of dogs that are surrendered from their owners because of economic hardships. Another big problem in SF is with animals taken from their owners because of things like animal cruelty allegations.
These dogs are not adoptable, but they are taking up space at the shelter during pending litigation. Dunn says when shelters are full, the probability of dogs having to be euthanized increases.
“The reality with this situation is that we are contemplating euthanizing for space. And I always want to be really clear when we’re talking about that, we’re talking about dogs that are adoptable,” said Dunn. “We’re talking about great dogs. It’s not anything that we want to be doing.”
That’s why Oakland Animal Services is extending their hours this week, Wednesday through Sunday. It’s a spring into action to push for adoption.
On Thursday, the shelter will remain open until midnight.
“We’ve had several days where we start the day, where we have no space for incoming dogs,” said Dunn.
In addition to extended hours this week, Oakland Animal Services is also creating incentives to adopt by waiving all adoption fees for big dogs. For more information, visit Oakland Animal Services.
The Oakland Animal Shelter recently requested community assistance in gathering kitten food. The shelter posted on Facebook an Amazon and Chewy list of foods they prefer to feed the kittens.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
