Tell the Alameda Animal Shelter there MUST be a dog volunteer program!
She has suspended the dog volunteer program at the shelter. That means that dogs are not being walked, socialized, their cages are not being cleaned (except once a day in the early morning by staff), and they are not being bathed. They are left confined to their cages 24-HOURS A DAY, something that is highly detrimental to their health, well-being and drastically reduces their chances of being adopted. In an attempt to deflect public criticism, the shelter manager may attempt to have staff let dogs out in a back run area but this is not a sustainable solution with her small staff and, they can't manage to walk dogs, socialize them, work with adopters and do the many things that volunteers do and that are required to maintain a successful adoption program.
In addition, she has decided that animals cannot be listed on any other website but virtualpetadoptions.com. So, sites like Petfinder.com which is one of the largest if not the largest animal adoption site in the nation, is used by EVERY shelter and rescue group and has partnered with Animal Planet and is advertised on their TV station, cannot be used. Neither can breed specific rescue site like German Shepherd rescue. Using breed specific sites is important because someone looking for a certain kind of dog will often go to these sites. The shelter has been using multiple sites for years and now, all of the sudden and for no reason, none are allowed but Virtual Pet Adoptions. Since we are a small, out of the way shelter, a large number of our adoptions occur because the animals are found on the internet. Going from using several sites to just one will again, reduce adoption rates.
The Alameda Animal shelter has drastically reduced its euthanasia rate over the last several years and these new rule changes virtually guarantee that all the strides that have been made will be reversed.
Please let the shelter and city of Alameda know that Alamedans and bay area residents want an animal shelter that is looking out for the best interest of the animals in their care. Not one that puts politics above animal welfare.
She has suspended the dog volunteer program at the shelter. That means that dogs are not being walked, socialized, their cages are not being cleaned (except once a day in the early morning by staff), and they are not being bathed. They are left confined to their cages 24-HOURS A DAY, something that is highly detrimental to their health, well-being and drastically reduces their chances of being adopted. In an attempt to deflect public criticism, the shelter manager may attempt to have staff let dogs out in a back run area but this is not a sustainable solution with her small staff and, they can't manage to walk dogs, socialize them, work with adopters and do the many things that volunteers do and that are required to maintain a successful adoption program.
In addition, she has decided that animals cannot be listed on any other website but virtualpetadoptions.com. So, sites like Petfinder.com which is one of the largest if not the largest animal adoption site in the nation, is used by EVERY shelter and rescue group and has partnered with Animal Planet and is advertised on their TV station, cannot be used. Neither can breed specific rescue site like German Shepherd rescue. Using breed specific sites is important because someone looking for a certain kind of dog will often go to these sites. The shelter has been using multiple sites for years and now, all of the sudden and for no reason, none are allowed but Virtual Pet Adoptions. Since we are a small, out of the way shelter, a large number of our adoptions occur because the animals are found on the internet. Going from using several sites to just one will again, reduce adoption rates.
The Alameda Animal shelter has drastically reduced its euthanasia rate over the last several years and these new rule changes virtually guarantee that all the strides that have been made will be reversed.
Please let the shelter and city of Alameda know that Alamedans and bay area residents want an animal shelter that is looking out for the best interest of the animals in their care. Not one that puts politics above animal welfare.
We, the (former) volunteers of the city of Alameda Animal Shelter are very concerned about several new rules that have been enacted within the last two months. The two most disturbing are that the dog volunteer program has been suspended indefinitely and that animals are not longer allowed to be listed on several high profile rescue websites. When dogs are unnecessarily confined to their cages for 24-hours a day, they quickly become "cage crazy" and unadoptable. When they are not advertised on various rescue websites, because our shelter is so out of the way and unknown, they don't find adoptive homes.
We want to have a shelter that we can be proud of. One that takes the welfare of its animals very seriously. Please sign our petition so that we can show the city that this is an important issue to Alamedans (and bay are folks in general).
Thank you
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how can you possibly suspend your volunteer program and expect the dogs to survive...or is this part of an evil plan to ensure that the dogs won't survive?
this is insane, what is the matter with her, doesn't she wantto help the animals.Maybe she should be replaced by someone that cares about these animals.
Eventhough I do not live in Alameda, my son and his wife reside in Alameda. My other son who lives with me in Honolulu volunteers at the military kennel once a week. We take two or three dogs into the yard and play ball with them, give them lots of affection, and spray them down with the hose. We also play with cats left at the kennel, and we get lots of enjoyment knowing we are making the animals feel loved. I can not believe the shelter does not have a volunteer program in Alameda. Something must be done about that, because these animals need more attention than the workers can do alone.
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12:28 am PDT, Nov 2,
Sophie Szeferowicz, France
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The shelter should accept any help that is offered, I can't understand why they don't acccept volunteers and don't use every possibility there is to find a new home where the animals will be loved! All these options are FREE, so use them please!
I just moved to Alameda and wanted to start volunteer dog walking since I am not in a household that allows dogs anymore. I miss having a dog in my life and was hoping I could help out close to home. Why is this volunteer service being abandoned?????
Dogs need to be walked daily. Volunteers are needed by EVERY shelter with animals to socialize them. I worked at a large animal shelter for six years. A shelter is NEVER a substitute for what a good home environment provides, but all the volunteers helped to make the animals' stay at the shelter more bearable. Please, please reinstate a volunteer program at your shelter and allow the animals the kind of care and attention they deserve. Thank you.
This is pure negligence.
the kind souls that do volunteer should righfully be given the chance to!
Dogs need socialization and to interact with other animasls as well as humans. These dogs aren't going to be adoptable if they aren't allowed this vital interaction. Not only is it not enough exercise, but it isn't healthy for them psychologically.
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7:36 pm PDT, Sep 29,
Michelle Rice, Ohio
What is wrong with having VOLUNTEER'S walk the dogs? Volunteering is not only honorable, but definately a relief to the dogs and staff. Let them help! |
"The true measure of a community lies in how it treats the most helpless among us%u2014our children and our animals. To the degree that another living being depends on us for its well being, we are diminished as "human" if we don't in some way "humanely" respond." (Joan Antczak)
It is unbelievable that the volunteer program has been cancelled. Any good and efficient organization knows that most animal shelters depend on the hard and uninterested work of volunteers. They significantly contribute to animal adoptions. Expanding potential adoption sites also make a real difference in increasing adoption rates. The Director of a shelter in Georgia has also suspended the volunteer program - the best volunteers too. In consequence, the expected adoptions have remarkably decreased. I am sorry for the animals who have to pay the consequences for the bad and selfish-motivated choices of the people in charge.
What a shame that someone in such a position would put their own political agenda before the lives of unwanted animals.
Doesn't sound like shelter to me...Just someone who is clueless. The government needs to offer up some subsidy program for these shelters, or offer the public free stamps to get animals spayed and neutered and develop a tax to help in this! We are taxed to death as it is, and I surely would pay more to see that the population of animals goes down, then we can one day minimize shelters and people can become responsible pet owners! Too many poor folks getting animals then getting rid of pets at the local Wal-Mart.....ridiculous!!
I was horrified when I read about what the director of the ALameda Shelter has been up to. The welfare of the animals is what is important, and the new rules disgust me as a dog and cat lover. Please do something about this.
Animal welfare is the only concern a municipal animal shelter has. Please establish or restore the highest standards for the health and welfare of the animals currently (and in the future) in the jurisdiction of the Alameda Shelter.
for an animal shelter this is a disgrace.
Alameda shelter needs to conform to the high standards we hold dear in the East Bay, and adopt every possible means to sheltering humanely and keep reducing euthanasia rates. The public will demand this, so if politics are top priority, the management should take heed. The humaneness of care is shamefully compromised when dogs can not be exercised, socialized, and kept clean. Maximum exposure on all available adoption websites is mandatory for any humane shelter, in order to keep from killing healthy dogs and cats.
Please do what's best for the dogs.
