2015 Year End Review: "We can do hard things"
When we first announced that we were devoting more of our time and resources to pet owner support instead of straight-up dog rescue work, we wondered how you would respond. Would we lose supporters?
Just the opposite.
Your positive feedback was immediate and encouraging. With each training class and outreach event, it feels like an army of unseen partners is with us who want our collective communities to have the best possible help for dog owners, 'blocky dog' owners especially. The need for this focus is huge - much bigger than we are. But the dogs remind us that small victories can and do define our future. Thank you for joining us as we march forward into 2016.
How are things shaping up? In 2015...
510 families met with our team for specialized help and services.
315 free microchips were implanted at our health clinics.
174 dogs received a free spay/neuter surgery.
60 families attended our Pit Ed classes.
30 families welcomed a BADRAP-adopted dog into their lives.
Oh Oakland, we love you
Three Oakland school principals rolled out the welcome mat to our mobile spay-neuter van in East (photos) and West (photos) Oakland. We were feeling the community support in '15!
One of the highlights of our year was an invitation to the Mingleton Temple Church (photos), where the preacher preached and the choir sang hymns from inside the chapel while we worked our event in the parking lot. A very special treat for all of us.
Dr. Noe and her staff hosted us at the Well Pet Veterinary Clinic in Pittsburg (
photos) for two events. They also performed between 14-22 surgeries in our van at each of the five long and busy health clinics held in Oakland throughout the year. Kathy Kinnear's touching
photos made these events real for Internet viewers. We're planning a gallery show in 2016 to highlight her work.
People get it, and the demand for free and affordable spay/neuter surgeries is strong and getting stronger. In addition to 'fixing' blocky headed dogs, we fielded a never ending stream of requests for surgeries for other breeds in 2015, especially
small dogs
,
German Shepherd dogs and
Huskies
. We fit in as many as time and resources allow. With this kind of demand, we're grateful to all of the hosts who said 'Yes' to our events and to the other busy spay/neuter
providers who are bringing resources to our communities.
Below: We first met this couple when their pup was in total health crisis. Sadly, it was too late and he died the next day. They came back with their new pup for his first vaccines and a vow to stay connected so he can get the help he needs to grow strong and stay healthy.
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Good Samaritans. A Year of Heroes
It was an especially good year for rescues and rescue placements facilitated by Good Samaritans in our community. Most of the dogs in this photo montage were found in Oakland.
It was a pleasure to work with so many compassionate people who were willing to stop in their tracks to offer fast help.
With these cases, we generally assist with owner searches, some vet care, behavior/training support and placement assistance as well as consultations for helping finders map out their best options. More info. Eight of the dogs in this graphic came to the Rescue Barn for additional TLC and re-homing last year.
We don't like that so many dogs are falling through the cracks in our town(s), but we sure love how our community is responding to the need.
It's the new Now.
The importance of dog owner support programs is catching hold in animal welfare circles and garnishing attention on various sites that cover animal topics. Dodo ran an article this past year with a story of Veronica, one of our clients who struggled with homelessness.
ARTICLE
<
Click on our Keep'Em Home logo
to meet some of the people and dogs who inspire this program.
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We offer several ways to donate. Please consider giving a tax
deductible gift to help us push this boulder up the hill in 2016
for the dogs and the people who call them family. Thank you!
EIN Number - 94-3397172
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Rescued dogs. Where do they come from?
Thirty three rescued dogs joined our adoption program and 36 others who came to us were transferred to rescue partners. Nine dogs came to us as unclaimed Oakland strays or from families in crisis in Oakland, thirteen dogs came to us from Hayward Animal Services, four came from Contra Costa Animal Services, fourteen came from Antioch Animal Services, twelve came from Napa County Animal Services, one came from Lake County Animal Services, three came from Berkeley Animal Care Services, four came from Yolo County Animal Services, two came from Central CA Valley shelters, and one young male came to us from Bermuda.
Rescue Relief in 2015
North bay shelters and rescues jumped into action after the tragic Valley Fire destroyed homes and lives in Lake, Sonoma and Napa Counties. We did our part to open precious North Bay kennel space by accepting twelve pre-fire shelter dogs from Napa County Animal Services (including Babette on the right). And then came Whimsy (left) who was found inside the fire zone but never claimed. Eight of the dogs pulled from Napa were small dogs - a big first for us!
We're especially grateful to the Idaho Humane Society who warmly welcomed these small passengers. Our crew transported a total of 28 smalls dogs, seven pit bull mix pups and a wonderful husky-mix named
Georgia to this reputable rescue partner in 2015.
Vet Care Needs in 2015
We were lucky - The overall health of our foster dogs was very good this year, so vet visits were minimal. A few dogs including
Pickles presented with chronic ear infections when they arrived and
Chiquita needed a TPLO surgery for a new knee. All fixable. But the dogs that gave us the most gray hairs were a litter of underage
puppies found abandoned on a porch in East Oakland. They were so underweight, dehydrated and wormy that we thought we might lose them, but thankfully they were tough little guys and pulled
 through. Our biggest hurt was the loss of a very deformed little puppy. We met
Lucinda at one of our dog health clinics. X-rays pointed to a lifetime of pain, so we brought her home to give her a few days of spoiling before she passed away at our vet's office.
A Special Refuge
While laws that restrict or ban dog breeds based on appearance (BSL) are being
dismantled all around the US, a close neighbor and favorite vacation spot is in the spotlight for their Draconian intolerance of dogs. Bermuda enacted a breed ban in 2001 and untold numbers of family pets have been seized and destroyed as a result. We accepted 'Dayo' (
photos) into our adoption program from a family in October in solidarity with the dog advocates who are fighting to end the ban. Under current law, dogs identified (or misidentified!) as pit bulls or their mixes can be seized and destroyed at the whim of the Dog Warden with no due process for dog owners. Dayo's owner went to great lengths to save him by exporting him to CA - a first in over a year. The breed ban is currently "
under review
."
We plan to keep a close eye on the situation and will report updates as we have them. For now, we are recommending that travelers consider a boycott of Bermuda while their ban is in effect.
Life at the Rescue Barn
 Seasonal videos helped viewers enjoy our dogs, and in return, they attracted great adopters. Win-Win!
Take a look:
January: Waffle's pups their adult mentor dogs.
March: The growing pups play with Uncle Larry.
May: Sauce & Ronan entertain their fans.
July: Lottie and Lulu romp with litter mates Floki, Odo and Charlotte
October: Babette, Judy, Hoodoo and Charlotte usher in autumn.
Home Improvements: A not-so-glamorous, but much appreciated improvement at the Rescue Barn was a French drain system to keep the grounds puddle free during our heavy rains. We're looking forward to staying dry during the big El Nino storms predicted in '16.
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 Looking to 2016
No one said this would be easy. Let's get busy.
The more we learn about the foreclosure
crisis and affordable housing shortage, the scarier it gets for the dogs and their families.
So, that's the bad news.
"Of those who gave up their animals, the most common reason cited was that the landlord or place of residence did not allow dogs or cats." - American Humane Association Report 'Keeping Pets in Homes: A Three-Phase Retention
Study'
The good news is that the SF Bay Area is still full of smart, conscientious people who want to do the right thing - and many of them are landlords who like dogs. A recent survey we distributed to landlords was so enlightening and full of surprises, we decided to double our research efforts in order to learn more from the people who make pet policy decisions for their rentals. Their views and their cooperation are critical to our ability to help dogs stay with their original homes and out of our crowded shelters. 2016 is the year we put the information we're gathering to use.
Photo Above: Star came to one of our events with her Good Samaritan. The last we heard, she had an adopter who was living in a hotel in order to keep her. A temporary fix, at best.
Please join us as we journey forward with brainstorming around these and other challenges and - if you can - give generously so we can continue to respond to the core problems that affect pit bulls and the human/animal bond both in our local community and around the country.
Help us bring the dogs
and their families
to a better place in this brave new era of compassion in action.
We were proud to be ranked nationally as the number one high-impact nonprofit for Local A
nimal Welfare, Rights, & Protection for
Guidestar's Philanthropedia
. What an honor for the dogs to have had a panel of experts see the value of this work and put BADRAP at the top of this prestigious list.
From all of us at BADRAP, Happy 2016.
Thank you for being such an important part of this work!
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We offer several ways to donate. Please consider making a tax
deductible gift to help us push this boulder up the hill in 2016
for the dogs and the people who call them family. Thank you!
EIN Number - 94-3397172
|
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