Unwanted pets being dumped at vacant Oakland store

Dana Fitzer, medical support lead East Bay SPCA, encourages a stray dog to drink water before an intake exam on Wednesday, December 17, 2014 in Oakland, Calif. The stray dog was brought in that morning by a good Samaritan. less Dana Fitzer, medical support lead East Bay SPCA, encourages a stray dog to drink water before an intake exam on Wednesday, December 17, 2014 in Oakland, Calif. The stray dog was brought in that morning by a ... more Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Unwanted pets being dumped at vacant Oakland store 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

A long-shuttered Pak ’n Save in East Oakland is overrun with graffiti and ditched trash. Piles of couches, mattresses, garbage bags and waterlogged wood pile up in corners of the grocery store’s parking lot.

The worst thing being dumped, though, is unwanted pets.

“It’s always been a place where people have dumped animals,” said Allison Lindquist, president of the East Bay SPCA, which has a state-of-the-art facility directly behind the vacant market.

“I think that if people knew we were around the corner, they would drop them here,” she said. “A lot of times they are left in cardboard boxes with a little blanket, and they will be dying.”

The empty store sits on a sea of asphalt called the Coliseum Center between Hegenberger Road and Baldwin Street beneath the new BART extension to Oakland International Airport.

Neighbors and business owners want the center redeveloped, but in the short term the SPCA wants something done about the blight — if not for the sake of the people and businesses in the area, then at least for the well-being of animals ditched there.

Take Gracie, an aging pit bull mix who was left at the former Pak ’n Save in September. She was dangerously underweight and had trouble walking because of arthritis.

She could have died, but an SPCA employee found her and brought her into the group’s facilities to be treated. Once she was back on her feet and healthy, she was put up for adoption, and in November she found a new home.

Pet owners part with animals for a variety of reasons. Sometimes people get evicted from their homes and can’t find a place for their pets. Other times the pets get sick, or the responsibility of caring for an animal becomes overwhelming.

Whatever the motive, the East Bay SPCA wants owners to surrender pets at the facility when it’s open rather than leaving them on the street or in a parking lot. Lindquist said that on many mornings, pets will be waiting with their leashes tied to the SPCA’s front gate — or in crates at the front door.

“We do so much good and try to save so many animals,” Lindquist said. “Seeing this endless stream of animals coming in is brutal. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.

“I don’t think its done intentionally,” she said. “A lot of these cases are lack of education. We have affordable vet care. Sometimes it’s not wanting to spend the money, but it can be very affordable.”

Developing the dilapidated Pak ’n Save property, officials said, would help draw attention to the SPCA facility, and would cut down on the number of forsaken animals left to die in the Pak ’n Save lot.

“It would be wonderful if we had a retail center there — I mean right now it is just a blight,” said SPCA spokeswoman Rita Wilds. “People think they can dump things, whether it is living things or garbage.”

The problem with the lot goes beyond animal welfare. The decaying building is a focus for city officials and community members working to improve the neighborhood. Vandals and dumpers keep coming back, and illegal activity ripples through the area.

“It’s a harbor for illegal graffiti and for dumping animals, and the whole place is just tagged up,” said Ken Houston, who heads the East Oakland Beautification Council. “It is hindering the progress that we are implementing. Other businesses are taking pride and working together, but that one place is negatively affecting our progress.”

Larry Reid, the Oakland councilman who represents the area, said the Pak ’n Save has been vacant for more than a year. He is working with the city and the property owners to redevelop the land.

“Its very frustrating,” he said. “A lot of people will call me about the debris that people who don’t have any respect for my city illegally dump. I’m hoping the old property will no longer be vacant and a plan will materialize.”

George Arce, who represents the property, said that when Pak ’n Save’s lease expired, then-owner Safeway Inc. pulled out and he lost 90 percent of the income the Coliseum Center generated — sending one of the ownership entities into bankruptcy.

Recently, though, Arce said he signed three new leases with national tenants. He’s now finalizing the funding, he said, and is about to submit a development application to the city.

“It took some time and some convincing, but I’m pleased to say we got it done,” Arce said. “It’s been an unbelievable ride to say the least. The economy was what it was, and we had to deal with the circumstances.”

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky

What’s not working

Issue: A vacant Pak ’n Save grocery store in Oakland has been the target of graffiti and illegal dumping, but the blighted property is also a place where people ditch unwanted pets.

What’s been done: The East Bay SPCA, which is located behind the old Pak ’n Save, has been rounding up animals ditched in the lot while community leaders work with the property owners to help redevelop the shopping center.

Who’s responsible: Pet owners who illegally abandon their animals. For more information, or if you can no longer care for a pet in the East Bay, surrender your animal at the East Bay SPCA,

(510) 569-0702, customercare@eastbayspca.org.

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