For many, the holiday season can be a time to be surrounded by family and friends (and do our best to enjoy their company!). Although I immensely enjoy that time of year, it can also serve as a glaring indication of the social ills that exist. Not surprisingly, the juxtaposition of joyful times with loved ones makes the adversity around us that much more obvious. These are tough times in the Bay Area, and the problems we face have no easy solutions.

As you might be aware, one of the issues that is near and dear to our hearts at HAPI is finding solutions for shelter dogs who are on the euthanasia list due to space issues. Despite the valiant efforts of our local shelter workers and volunteers, shelters are often forced to select dogs for euthanasia to make room for incoming animals. Many of these dogs are highly adoptable, but make the list because the shelter is unable to move dogs through their doors quickly enough to keep up with their intake numbers. Once they reach capacity, shelter staff “red flag” dogs who will be euthanized to free up kennel space. They then post the names and pictures of those dogs, along with their deadlines and how people can help.

In an ideal world, members of our community could easily step up during these dire times to adopt or foster these dogs. But that is much easier said than done, as many Bay Area residents face numerous social challenges that could make it difficult to help. Financial constraints and housing insecurity, fueled by systemic social issues can serve as barriers to those who may want to consider fostering or adopting.

Thankfully, when push comes to shove, shelters can rely on the assistance of other animal rescue groups who serve as transfer partners. These partners take on animals to help free up shelter space, offering a second chance to dogs who would otherwise have their precious lives cut short. Transfer partners are a great option, but there are fees and travel costs associated with these transfers. Fees that shelters who are already spread so thin on resources find it hard to come up with.

In November, Oakland Animal Services found themselves far over capacity and in need of euthanizing dogs for space. Per their protocol, OAS posted on their website the names and pictures of the dogs who were at risk for euthanasia, along with their deadlines. There were 16 adoptable dogs whose lives were at risk if a solution couldn't be found, and quickly.

Once we caught wind of this, we sprang into action, relying on our community to help. At HAPI we've talked extensively about this issue and how we can help shoulder the burden, as it is not the sole responsibility of shelters to solve these problems. These are everyone’s animals, and we need to work together to ensure the best chance of success for them.

As a relatively new non-profit, these conversations had been purely theoretical up to then. However, we were now faced with a life and death situation, and the clock was ticking. Now was the time to act. So a member of our board created a social media post in an effort to specifically secure funds to save the lives of the dogs on this list. She called it the GOOD Dog Fund, GOOD being an acronym we created that stands for “get out of Dodge”. We figured if these dogs could get transferred to an animal rescue group, they could have another shot at life.

To our surprise, there was an outpouring of donations made. Not only from family and close friends, but also by a number of strangers who read the post and felt moved enough to want to help. In partnership with FOAS (friends of Oakland animal services), we were able to prevent the euthanization of almost all the dogs on the list. A few were lucky enough to be adopted or fostered and 11 were saved by the GOOD Dog Fund and sent to a transfer partner in Northern California who will work to find forever homes for them. At the start of the new year we made another push for donations to cover the cost of sending three more dogs who would have otherwise been up for euthanasia. We’re off to a good start and feeling hopeful that these efforts could possibly mean that there will one day not be a need for a kill list. We are currently working on building up a reserve of funds so we can immediately spring into action when the need arises.

The sad reality is that shelters are overwhelmed by daily demands and lack of funding. This is an ongoing problem that will require long-term solutions in both our societal norms and our legal policies. As we continue to advocate for these changes, we can take comfort in combating the problem by saving one dog at a time. I for one felt like this victory gave me a little more reason to be thankful this holiday season. HAPI is looking forward to a continued partnership with FOAS and will endeavor to fill the gaps, particularly with finding solutions for spacing challenges and helping to save dogs from euthanasia. We still have a long road ahead, but I am feeling up for the challenge and hope you are too.