CVHS bookroom staff helps animals across the Bay Area

Jennifer Oliver, the CVHS bookroom and school supply technician, assisted the East Bay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (EBSPCA) in the transfer of 80 dogs to various shelters and homes throughout the Bay Area last fall. These dogs were surrendered and abandoned in the Tulsa, Oklahoma region.

“Abandonment of dogs is a massive problem in many parts of our nation. Tulsa just happened to be the one this time,” said Oliver.

Oliver, who has been a volunteer at EBSPCA for five years, works as a canine companion–someone who specializes in walking and socializing with dogs. She also specializes in Trap, Neuter, or Spay, Return (TNSR) which requires her to safely trap kittens and spay them to prevent them from reproducing.  

Her experience in TNSR provided great assistance at CVHS a couple of years ago, when a kitten was stuck atop a hallway roof.

“When school started in August [of 2019], we had a kitty colony here that was pretty large. In that first year, I trapped 30 kitties,” she explained.

Oliver found the most humane way to treat the cats, finding traps that would not hurt them. Once trapped, the kittens were then TNSRed. In that first year, she caught 30 kittens; some went on to be adopted by Castro Valley families and CVHS staff, including former chemistry teacher Silvia Perri. As of now, there are no cats on campus.

“Ms. Oliver is a really incredibly giving individual of her time and energy both to the staff here and to the greater community,” said Principal Blaine Torpey, who called for Oliver’s assistance with the cat incident in 2019.

Oliver also assisted with the Animal Rights Club here at CVHS before the Covid-19 pandemic. As a lover of animals, she desperately wants to see it return.  “We need an Animal Rights Club to come back,” she said.

As for now, Oliver continues to volunteer at EBSPCA.  She has also started a fundraiser for a pit bull named Buddy, whose owner, a homeless Hayward citizen, cannot afford to pay veterinary care for Buddy. Wanting to see vet care prioritized, her goal is to provide veterinary services to one animal at a time, then go on to the next one.

“Compassion and mercy is key. I don’t feel like I need to start a rescue, we have a lot of those. We just need a lot of one-on-one; grassroots, ground level, one-on-one,” Oliver said.