Greetings Volunteers,
Guess what? Yesterday was National Dog Day! Three cheers to our four-legged best friends who wag their tails, steal our snacks, and fill our hearts with joy. Whether they’re zooming around the yard, giving slobbery kisses, or curling up like little furry loaves on the couch, dogs make every day brighter. So toss a tennis ball, share a treat (or two), and give your pup some extra belly rubs—or better yet, come adopt a shelter dog! Spread the word — we have lots of great dogs available for adoption as you can see from these photos :).
Shelter update: We currently have 325 animals in our collective care. 248 are at Marin Humane: 74 animals in foster and 174 animals in the shelter/Kitty Corner, including: 27 dogs, 3 puppies, 57 cats, 40 kittens, 12 rabbits, 20 guinea pigs, 3 rodents, 5 reptiles, 3 birds, and 4 fowl. 77 animals are with the Hopalong Foster Program: 16 animals are in the Oakland office and 61 are in foster or offsite adoption sites!
Adoption update: If it’s Wednesday, it’s time for the adoption slideshow! Congratulations to all of last week’s adopters on finding their perfect matches. To see who went home, here’s the Adoption Report for all the details. Special thanks to Berkeley Humane and Clear the Shelters for another amazing Bark & Meow Around the Block! We found loving homes for so many kittens and had a great time while doing it! We’re already looking forward to next year!
Hopalong happenings: Marin Humane and Hopalong staff attended Bark & Meow Around the Block in Berkeley this past weekend and had a great time. The event featured many different local shelters, food vendors, and lots of cute animals to adopt. We had great success and ended the event with 15 cat adoptions! Meanwhile, back at the Hopalong Foster office, there were many dirty cages needing to be cleaned because most of our cats went to the event. Our weekend team of cat care volunteers were rock stars: we came into work on Monday morning and all the cages were sparkling clean. A huge thank you to our weekend cat care volunteers (Jenia, Alona, Sarah, Lauren, Anne) and a huge cheer of celebration for all the adoptions this weekend!
Volunteer High Five to Pignic bakers & Volunteers! I’d like to give a special shout-out and High Five to the bakers who contributed their delectable creations to the Pignic bake sale. When I called for bakers, I had no idea they were so insanely skilled! From chocolate pecan bars, brownies, Dutch butter cake bars, oatmeal spice cookies, strawberry jam bars, and Rice Krispy treats, their fantastic baking items were sold out before days end! Thank you Carol, Claire, Dana, Debra, Nancy, and Vivienne for contributing to the Pignic Bake Sale! It was a huge hit and a revenue-generator for the event.
Another Volunteer High Five to Pignic volunteers Becky, Boji, Cheryle, Chris, Dinah, Jessica, Lynn, Maddie, and Sol! These folks came early to help set-up, greet & check-in families, sell baked goods and raffle tickets, and engage with the guinea pig-loving families throughout the day. Thank you for making Pignic 2025 such a smooth-running, fun, successful event! ~ Candace
Tails of Marin: We all know that being severely overweight is dangerous. From stress on our joints to increased risk of heart disease and stroke, being obese is a serious medical issue. But when it comes to our pets, why do we often think it’s “cute” to see a fat feline or corpulent canine? Read more in this week’s Tails of Marin, “Don’t let your pet pack on the pounds.”
Outcomes and Decisions Workshop: If you weren’t able to join us last Thursday for the Decisions and Outcomes Workshop, we recorded the session. This workshop, presented by staff including Nancy McKenney, Dr. Belinda Evans, Keri Fennell, Virginia Grainger, Beth Weil, and Sam Winegarner, shared their perspectives involved with our intake process, behavior assessments, and euthanasia decisions. Here is the link to the workshop recording. The passcode is: C7g%7PKc. The link expires on September 30th.
Pet First Aid: Are you prepared? Help your dogs and cats survive a disaster or medical emergency. Presented by American Safety & Health Institute-certified instructor Peter Pay, this hands-on workshop teaches basic lifesaving techniques and preparedness, including basic pet first aid, CPR training, rescue breathing, restraint and muzzling, choking management, poison response, and much more. Included in the First Aid & CPR workshop is a first aid workbook and completion certificate. Space is limited for this workshop; pre-registration is required so click here to register today!
To add a smile to your day, check out these pics from Pignic! Hope you all have a safe, relaxing holiday weekend!
Candace
