FRIENDS OF OAKLAND ANIMAL SERVICES
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
As Oakland's only open admissions animal shelter, Oakland Animal Services (OAS) serves more than 420,000 residents in one of the most diverse cities in the U.S. Last year, OAS took in 5600+ animals including domestic pets, birds, reptiles, farm animals, and wild animals. Yet the budget provided to OAS by the City of Oakland--the lowest funding per capita of any city animal services in the Bay Area-- covers only the most basic care for the thousands of animals admitted to OAS each year.
In support of the herculean efforts of OAS, Friends of Oakland Animal Services (FOAS) was created to support the municipal shelter's efforts to better care for thousands of animals each year in the face of Oakland's ongoing budgetary challenges.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Mickey's Medical Fund
FOAS provides emergency and extraordinary care for shelter animals. This includes surgeries, amputations, treatment of infectious disease, and more.
Example 1: Puppy brothers Kuro and YinYang came to Oakland Animal Services and were diagnosed with a deadly canine infectious disease, Parvovirus. Parvovirus treatment costs around $2500 to treat just one puppy and requires isolation from other shelter animals. Both puppies were treated, survived, and found wonderful adoptive homes.
Example 2: Gilbert the cat arrived as a stray, badly injured and unable to use his right rear leg. Examination and an x-ray by the shelter vet team revealed a shattered tibia and fractured femur. The presence of metal fragments in the wound indicated that Gilbert may have been shot. Major surgery - an amputation - was needed to save him.
Foster Program
Oakland Animal Services is an open-admission shelter that takes in more that 6000 animals annually. Foster homes provide an important outlet for long-term animals, underaged animals, and animals in need of medical recovery. FOAS provides funding for the program which includes a foster coordinator, medical care, and supplies.
Community Spay and Neuter
Oakland Animal Services is an open-admission shelter that takes in more that 6000 animals annually. FOAS is working to decrease intake through community spay and neuter of owned pets and feral cats. We provide free spay and neuter for pets of low-income Oakland residents. We also partner with local groups to provide spay and neuter for the thousands of feral cats in Oakland.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of shelter dogs placed in foster homes
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Foster Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The FOAS-funded foster coordinator places animals in need with caring families here in the Bay Area, helping these animals gain confidence, learn manners, and blossom into happy pets.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Founded by Oakland Animal Services volunteers in December 2005, FOAS is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for shelter animals. Our mission is to provide homes, health, and happiness for Oakland's homeless animals. We are proud to assist Oakland's only open-admission agency, where we have the opportunity to improve the lives of the greatest number of animals.
Some of our main funding areas include:
-Emergency and specialized medical care
-Equipment needed to help veterinary staff better care for shelter animals on-site
-Adoption outreach and foster program support
-The creation of indoor/outdoor play areas and better animal housing, including general supplies and repairs
-Transportation of animals to both local and out-of-state partner rescue groups
-Tools to help with Oakland field services, including digital cameras for staff to document cruelty cases and laser thermometers to determine the temperature inside parked cars
-Materials, training, and other supplies for the volunteer program that are integral to the quality of life for shelter animals
-Community spay/neuter efforts for feral cats and owned animals
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
FOAS believes in standing up for the most vulnerable members of our community who don't have a voice. We do this through strategic programs intended to care for and prepare homeless animals for adoption as quickly as possible and to reduce the number of strays and owner surrenders brought to the shelter facility. Some of our initiatives include:
-Mickey's Medical Fund
Through Mickey's Medical Fund, FOAS is able to provide emergency and extraordinary medical care or shelter animals. For example, in June 2016, tabby cat Bailey found herself at Oakland Animal Services after a fall from a high deck. She was a stray, suffering from dehydration, with a nasty abscess on her face and a mysterious lump on her side. After receiving care at OAS for her infected abscess, we learned that she was also suffering from early kidney disease and had some bad, certainly painful, teeth. Her medical needs were clearly beyond the routine medical care the shelter could give her.
FOAS provided the special diet Bailey needed for kidney health and arranged for dental treatment and surgery to remove the growth on her side. Her treatment was successful, and the growth turned out to be benign. Our friends at partner organization Cat Town took her into their foster program to recover, where her kidney levels stabilized. After a few short months, Bailey was adopted! We believe all animals deserve a chance to find the love of a forever family, just like Bailey did.
-Animal Enrichment
OAS serves approximately 3,800 dogs per year, the majority of which are pit bull type dogs. Many of our dogs can spend weeks to months at the shelter. This is especially true for pit bull type gods, because they are the most abundant, they have the fewest options for transfer to foster-based rescue partners, and supply outweighs demand for adoption. Kennel stress due to confinement and lack of stimulation is a common issue. FOAS provides funding to bolster the shelter's kennel enrichment program, providing durable, orthopedic beds to allow long-term dogs to sleep in comfort, harnesses to take dogs on off-site adventures, and materials that are required for dog training and play groups such as collars and leads.
For our feline friends, we provide comfortable, scratch-proof cat beds, scratchers, and plastic and catnip toys. When an iguana found its way to OAS, FOAS purchased heat lamps and other supplies to provide a warm, safe environment.
-Supporting Spay/Neuter
To help reduce the number of homeless animals entering Oakland Animal Services, FOAS is working to address the needs for spay/neuter services for Oakland's free-roaming cats and will soon be launching a community program to provide no-/low-cost spay/neuter access in lower income neighborhoods in Oakland, from which the greatest number of stray and owner-surrendered animals enter the shelter. FOAS funding for spaying/neutering 500 of Oakland's animals has the estimated impact of reducing shelter intake by 375 animals.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Founded by volunteers, and largely volunteer-run, FOAS is deeply connected--and able to quickly respond to--the daily needs of our city's animal shelter. Through a close working relationship with the shelter director and other staff, we can quickly approve emergency medical care for at-risk homeless animals, as well as fund equipment, facility, and outreach improvements that create lasting benefits for Oakland's animals--and the adopters waiting to meet them.
We rely on the support of generous donors and funders to make all of our work for Oakland's animals possible. Unlike other private and nonprofit rescue organizations, Oakland Animal Services has an open-door policy--meaning that any animal in need, of any species or breed, is welcomed through our shelter door. Despite Oakland's budget shortcomings, we believe that our city's homeless animals deserve the best possible care. Funding and strategic support from Friends of Oakland Animal Services helps make this possible.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Other recent projects have included:
-purchase of a digital x-ray machine, minimizing the emotional and physical toll on sick and injured animals who previously had to be transported for x-rays
-contract professional dog trainers who conduct behavior assessments for dogs and workshops for volunteers
-routine medical care such as spay/neuter surgeries, dental treatment, ringworm tests, and lab tests for shelter animals
-volunteer program support such as t-shirts, aprons, leashes, photography equipment, software, and event fees
-fencing repair and construction of new doggy play areas
-funding for new cat “condos," improving adoption prospects for shyer cats who fare best in quieter shelter housing
-changing the image of a city shelter to an upbeat, welcoming environment by inviting local artists to participate in our PAW POWER! Mural Project
-foster program supplies such as dog crates, adopt-me vests, and kitchen scales for weighing kittens
-OAS equipment and upkeep such as a new refrigerator for vaccines and repairs to doors
-signage and outreach material
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
FRIENDS OF OAKLAND ANIMAL SERVICES
Board of directorsas of 01/30/2024
TRISH ROQUE
Yvonne Tsang
Trish Roque
Emily Derenthal
Julianne Chai
Katja Cross
Chloe Hughes
Jack Vu
Michael Roth
Kelly Hoffman
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
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