hi... I am hoping you will all watch tonights tv broadcast & show support to implement much needed change. The shelter staff and volunteers are some of the most dedicated caring individuals I have ever worked with, the overall system is overtaxed at Oakland Animal Services .. Heres a plea from Martha Cline that was sent out this morning. ---- I am writing you today to invite you to watch an investigative report about Oakland Animal Services (OAS) that will air Thursday April 24 at 10 p.m. on KTVU[AB1] , channel 2. OAS has gone through many administrations during the eleven years that I have been volunteering and working there, and despite several progressive directors, the underlying issues have not been addressed successfully, due largely to the lack of humane directives from the City of Oakland and the concrete support to make OAS an institution that responds appropriately to the expectations and needs of Oakland residents and Oakland’s animals. In the past six or seven years, our transfers have increased greatly due mainly to my efforts as a part-time staff person and volunteer, without any institutional recognition for this role. During the first three months of 2014, for example, we transferred 42% of our animals. Unfortunately, as of May 3, I will no longer be able to carry out this work as a staff member and have been ordered to work as an animal care attendant, which is the title under which I was hired after the layoffs four years ago. My access to Petpoint (the software that is used to manage all information on the animals) has already been severely limited, which also impacts my ability to help place animals with rescue. As there is no infrastructure designated for transfer of animals, especially of those who have not passed their evaluations, I fear for the outcome for that 42% of animals that are currently transferred, once I am not able to do this work. These interventions reflect how little the role of rescue is valued at OAS. These actions, however, are also indicative of a much larger systemic issue. We are hopeful that the KTVU report will generate public support for change in Oakland. We have created a Facebook page to inform the community of some of the basic issues and concrete proposals for actions to be taken to address these issues as well as continued updates and support that will be needed for the animals. I would also ask for your continued support for Oakland’s animals. Rescues please continue to pull animals from OAS but also let your supporters know of our efforts to make longterm change that will benefit Oakland residents and Oakland’s animals. The Facebook page that we will launch tomorrow will have continued updates of what support we are asking for, including emails to City Council and the Mayoral candidates, presence at specific City Council meetings and will give more details on our requests. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know. I value your input. Thank you, Martha Cline
Posted on: Thu, 24 Apr 2014 18:03:01 +0000
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