Oakland Animal Services (OAS) is Oakland’s only open admissions shelter, and takes in about 6,000 animals annually. Friends of OAS is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to supporting the agency by raising funds to provide medical care, lab work, enrichment and beds for the shelter’s animals. Friends of OAS also funds the foster program, adoptions program, facility improvements, animal transports, and staff training.

In 2020, OAS joined the Human Animal Support Services (HASS) coalition as a Tier 1 pilot shelter. HASS promotes community collaboration to reimagine the role of animal services, transforming the sheltering system through innovative programs and services. OAS participates in the Home-to-Home program to help find new homes for animals without requiring a stay at the shelter:

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 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, and promote responsible pet ownership and humane care.