166 animal adoptions from Oakland Animal Services during adoptathon

Oakland Animal Services was able to raise $102,500 with 73 cat and 93 dog adoptions during last weekend’s second annual Maddie’s Matchmaker Adoptathon. The adoptathon lasted two days and involved dozens of animal shelters and rescue organizations in the East Bay. Over the weekend, all dog and cat adoptions were free. Last year, 133 animals were adopted and Oakland Animal Services raised $66,500.

“The weekend was amazing,” says Oakland Animal Services volunteer Debra Scaruffi. “Believe it or not, we still have some available dogs and cats.”

Maddie’s Fund, a pet rescue foundation, gave all participating animal shelters between $500 and $1,500 for each adoption, which goes towards paying for veterinary supplies and medications for the animals at the shelter. One of the goals of this year’s adoptathon was to highlight the need of finding homes for senior animals and those with medical conditions.

Oakland North wrote about one loving Rottweiler with hyperthyroidism, Miss Twiggy, and Oakland Animal Services volunteers say that she was adopted along with Rembrandt, a senior Maltese mix with one eye.

Maddie’s Adoptathon involved several shelters throughout the East Bay; overall, there were around 2,200 adoptions and the foundation expects to give out about $2 million in donations. This is up from last year when fewer than 2,000 animals were adopted and $1 million was raised.

Homeless Animals’ Lifeline Organization in Contra Costa County had the most adoptions of any shelter with 188 cats and dogs being adopted. Oakland Animal Services came in second with 166. To see a scrolling list of all the animals adopted from Oakland Animal Services during Maddie’s Adoptathon, click here.

Rabbits were not included in the adoptathon, so Oakland Animal Services employees say they will be planning a bunny event in the near future to highlight all of the rabbits they have that need a home.