Greetings Volunteers,
Animal Control Officer Appreciation Week is this week! Most people in Marin don’t realize that when they call for help from “animal control,” that help comes in the form of one (or more) of the highly skilled and dedicated Marin Humane Animal Services Officers! We choose to call the department Animal Services – instead of Animal Control – because that’s what our officers do: they provide life-changing services to the animals (and people!) of Marin County.
Here’s one story about these amazing, hardworking heroes: During Animal Control Officer Appreciation Week we’re celebrating some special moments and stories that highlight the incredible breadth of our officers’ duties. Here’s a fun example where our officers really had to “goat with the flow” when their day took an unexpected turn: A couple years ago, we received a call about some goats behaving very baa-aaa-dly! Not only had they gotten loose, they’d gotten themselves onto someone’s roof! Our officers arrived on the scene to find the goats off the roof but still running around the property and making a big mess, as goats are inclined to do. Luckily, Officer Middaugh and Officer Miller (pictured) were able to catch the galloping goats thanks in no small part to Officer Miller’s roping skills! When we say our officers never know what the day will bring, this is what we mean! They never know if a day will bring baby ducklings in a storm drain, or a lost dog in a park…. or goats on a roof. Thank you to our Animal Services Officers for always being there for the animals and people of Marin County! They can be reached 24/7 regarding animal emergencies at 415-883-4621.
Shelter update: We currently have 237 animals in our collective care. 172 are at Marin Humane: 72 animals in foster and 100 animals in the shelter/Kitty Corner, including: 20 dogs, 5 puppies, 52 cats, 4 kittens, 4 rabbits, 8 guinea pigs, 1 rodent, 5 reptiles, and 1 bird. 65 animals are with the Hopalong Foster Program: 9 animals are in the Oakland office and 54 are in foster or offsite adoption sites!
Adoption update: Happy Wednesday! We hope everyone’s enjoying the spring weather, 80’s one day, 60’s the next, ha!! These adoption photos are sure to warm your heart especially on the chillier days. Congratulations to all of last week’s adopters! 
Here’s the Adoption Report if you’d like even more smiles!
Hopalong Happenings: We’re sad to say that Meagan Stangel, our outstanding Hopalong Volunteer Engagement Coordinator, will be leaving at the end of the week. Meagan joined the Hopalong family in June 2024 as an Animal Care Coordinator. Last November, Meagan joined the Volunteer Engagement team and quickly made her mark with a friendly and highly organized style. While Meagan’s time with Marin Humane was short, she made a very positive impact on the volunteers, staff, and animals! Meagan received an offer from the film industry where she was previously employed for a full time position (instead of half time at Hopalong) that she just couldn’t pass up. We are very excited for Meagan and wish her all the best in the visual special effects field!
Volunteer High Five to Animal Ambassador Teams! “A huge shout-out and High Five to volunteer animal ambassador teams Michelle Gannon and her dog Sophie, Molly Foley and her dog Miles, and Kathleen Miller and her cat Donnie! These three teams have been regular visitors to Compassion Corner over the past year. Compassion Corner is a program that is part of the volunteer engagement program, where we welcome people with physical or cognitive limitations to come visit with specially trained volunteers and their dogs (and cat!) as well as small companion animals like guinea pigs. Michelle and Molly share their dogs in the first part of Compassion Corner, and Kathleen and Donnie spend the second portion with the folks who come with their carers to enjoy some special animal time. Compassion Corner meets twice a month. For some sessions, there are 8-12 people in attendance. But this past week, there were over 35 people who showed up! That’s a lot of people-energy and dog petting! The pups were fantastic, staying calm and engaged with our guests. Of course, the humans were wonderful, too! Three cheers to these three wonderful volunteer teams for bringing joy and smiles to everyone they meet!” ~ Candace
Debbie the parrot: Recently, an elderly yellow-naped Amazon parrot arrived at the shelter after her guardian passed away. Sadly, Debbie was alone in her home for about two weeks before she and her deceased owner were discovered. We suspect she survived – just barely – off bits of food she’d previously dropped in her cage. This sweet, old girl was medically fragile when she arrived – thin, weak, and arthritic. After her ordeal, we weren’t sure if Debbie would make it. Luckily, Sam W., our amazing Manager of Shelter Operations, took the parrot “under her wing” (pun intended)! Sam set up a cage with special perches so Debbie’s arthritic claws could grip them, gave her specially-made meals with a variety of nutritious food, and made sure she was eating. Sam carefully bathed and groomed her, got her a heat lamp (which she loves!), weighed her daily, and took her outside on sunny days to give her a little mental boost. Debbie quickly began responding to this special care – gaining weight and becoming brighter and more active! Just to be sure she was okay, however, Sam drove our special guest to one of the area’s top avian veterinarians (multi-hour drive, each way!) who was able to give her a clean bill of health. We’re happy to report that Debbie is now thriving in an experienced, caring foster home, where she gets to people-watch, enjoy regular sunshine, and snack on her very favorite food: corn! Thank you, Sam, for going the extra mile (and then some!) for Debbie, and thank you to her wonderful foster for continuing Debbie’s top-notch care.
Tails of Marin: Next week is an exciting one for Marin Humane — it’s National Volunteer Week! This special week is an opportunity to recognize the impact of volunteer service and the power of volunteers to tackle some of the greatest challenges facing communities. Volunteers are the lifeblood of many nonprofit organizations, including Marin Humane. You’ll sure to enjoy this week’s Tails of Marin article, “Celebrating volunteers who help Marin Humane run smoothly.”
Wine, wine, wine! Woofstock is just a few short weeks away and one of the big fundraisers at the event is the Dog Collar Wine Toss Game. To facilitate this game, we’re looking for donations of all varietals of wine, anything priced $5 and over (no Two Buck Chuck, please), keeping in mind that guests are paying $10 to participate. Bottles can be brought to the Marketing & Communications or Development offices in the Whittell building. Thank you in advance for your donations!
Have a wonderful week!
Candace
