Oakland Animal Services Director Resigns

In 2011, while volunteering at Oakland Animal Services, also known as the city shelter (DO NOT call it the pound!), Ann Dunn noticed that many shelter cats were running out of options due to a lack of resources. She watched as people passed by the cats, who were stressed from living in cages, emotionally disconnected, sick or elderly.

Three years later, she founded Cat Town, where these overlooked cats could learn to be brave from more confident cats and come to trust people at their own pace, and where potential adopters could meet them in a less stressful, more home-like environment. environment. As a result, the number of adoptions soared and the number of cat deaths in the shelter dropped from 45% to 10.

“She was a godsend to the cats in that shelter,” said Gail Churchill, vice president of the Alameda rescue group Island Cat Resources and Adoption (ICRA).

In 2020, Dunn stepped down as executive director of Cat Town to take the helm at Oakland Animal Services itself.

“She could have just left Cat Town and continued the good work she had been doing, but she decided to take the toughest job in Oakland instead,” said Nara Dahlbacka, one of Cat Town’s directors.

“Because of Cat Town, euthanasia rates for cats were low, so we wanted to focus on dogs,” says Dunn.

One of the first things she did was start a foster program and play groups for large dogs, which not only improved their quality of life, but also gave the OAS staff a better understanding of the dogs’ personalities and potential adopters better information about them gave.

When the program launched in mid-2020, they were able to get 250 large dogs into foster homes. By the end of 2023, the number had grown to more than 1,000 and the mortality rate has now fallen to 5.5%, the lowest ever.

“One of our dog volunteers who has been doing this for decades told me, ‘I can finally sleep at night,’” said longtime volunteer Ellen Lynch.

She has done so many other good things — including monthly vet clinics for low-income or homeless pet owners, expanding shelter hours and lowering adoption fees — that has tripled the number of adoptions.

Dunn has also built a good relationship with the Oakland police and fire departments, who now call OAS when they are in an emergency involving someone with a dog on a property. OAS will care for the animal until the person can return. She is always quick to give credit to her staff.

“They are extremely dedicated and compassionate, and they do so much with such limited resources,” Dunn said. “It is an honor to work with them.”

Sadly, Dunn has decided to resign from this grueling job, although I don’t think she will ever stop rescuing animals.

“I’m exhausted,” she explains. “This is so much hard work, and the OAS needs a leader who has the energy to give whatever it takes.”

She will remain at the helm until her successor is found, but whoever it is, there will be huge shoes to fill.

“We’re going to miss her,” Lynch said. “She is a very kind, thoughtful person who wants to do everything right. And she cares deeply about animals and people who struggle with animals. In her work she has had to deal with very difficult people, but she always treats everyone with respect.”