Oakland Animal Services is Oakland’s only “open admissions” shelter: We accept all of Oakland’s homeless, injured, orphaned, unwanted, lost, abandoned and mistreated animals, including companion animals, farm animals, exotic animals, and native wildlife. Every animal brought to our door is welcome, regardless of age, breed, temperament or medical condition.

In this way we differ from other shelters and animal welfare organizations that are limited admissions, meaning that they only accept some of the homeless animals in their communities and may refuse those animals they deem difficult to place.

Our staff provides critical services to our community, sheltering thousands of Oakland’s stray animals each year and responding to animal-related calls for service in Oakland. We enforce animal-related welfare laws, rescue lost and abandoned animals from the streets, protect animals from abusive owners, assist in prosecutions for abuse and neglect, investigate animal bites, and promote responsible pet ownership and humane care — while at all times ensuring the public’s safety.

With the assistance of a dedicated group of volunteers and the support of nonprofit Friends of Oakland Animal Services, OAS took in more than 5,000 homeless, injured, orphaned, unwanted, abandoned, and/or mistreated companion animals in 2018 alone. We have one of the few nationally-recognized rabbit programs in the country, with improved housing and indoor/outdoor play areas to enrich the quality of their lives.

We are a city agency that proudly provides public safety and animal welfare services as well as human health and social services. We are here to serve our community’s residents.

Mission

Oakland Animal Services is responsible for Oakland’s stray, injured, abandoned, neglected and mistreated animals, both domestic and wild.

The department provides courteous and responsive service to the public, with highest attention given to public safety; and ensures compliance with all state and local laws related to animals.

Vision

• Continue to save as many animals as we can with the resources available to us.
• We envision the day when appropriate and stable funding exists to medically treat all nonterminal conditions, address all unsafe behaviors with training, and implement innovative sheltering alternatives in order to save more lives.
• We envision the day when OAS is widely regarded as an animal protection and welfare agency that the community seeks out as a valuable resource for information, adoption, education and rescue services.