Greetings Volunteers,
As I mentioned in last week’s post, I joined two other Marin Humane staff to help at Pasadena Humane. Michelle Teruel, Adoption Program Assistant, and Michael Skyvara, Animal Care Technician, worked with the animals alongside Pasadena Humane staff: cleaning canine runs and walking the emergency board dogs housed there temporarily as their families were affected by the fires. It was hard and very rewarding work. I assisted on the people-side with the Volunteer Services and HR teams in a separate building: working the phones (there were hundreds of calls every day from folks wanting to volunteer and foster and donate items!), doing data entry to track all these calls, and managing the kitchen. Pasadena Humane was quite fortunate to receive donations of food and meals for the staff, volunteers, and emergency responders. Food (and treats!) arrived throughout the day to keep all the hard working folks feed and fueled. The kitchen area became the natural gathering spot which gave me the opportunity to meet Pasadena Humane staff and volunteers and hear their fire-related stories; additionally, we heard stories from animal emergency team members about some moments in the field saving animals and bringing food and water to lost and feral cats. Everyone coming together to do what they can for the animals and their people in this time of crisis.
Shelter update: We currently have 226 animals in our collective care. 2oo are at Marin Humane: 82 animals in foster and 118 animals in the shelter/Kitty Corner, including: 25 dogs, 3 puppies, 44 cats, 7 kittens, 9 rabbits, 6 guinea pigs, 6 rodents, 6 reptiles, 6 birds, and 6 fowl. 26 animals are with the Hopalong Foster Program: 6 animals are in the Oakland office and 20 are in foster or offsite adoption sites!
Adoption update: Let’s wait no longer … here’s the adoption slideshow! A few cuties from our recent L.A. transports are in here, too! If you need a smile today, check out all the happy families! And for more details, here’s the Adoption Report.
Hopalong happy endings! Pharrel and Yoshi have found their forever home! At the beginning of the month, we posted about this bonded pair of cats consisting of senior Maine Coon Pharrel and his younger buddy Yoshi. Both shy but sweet, they took up residence in our loft at Hopalong, quickly becoming favorites of the staff and volunteers. They came to us from the shelter after their previous person moved out of state and it was clear that they needed to remain together. When they were finally ready for adoption, a couple reached out to us, and it turned out to be a perfect fit. Now these two are living their best lives with their family including their new canine and feline siblings. We’re so excited for them and grateful that these two will remain together!
Tails of Marin: They’re beautiful, social, and smart. And some even talk! It’s little wonder that pet birds are growing in popularity. In this week’s Tails of Marin article, “Thinking about adopting a pet? Consider a bird!“
Dogs from L.A.: Last week, we welcomed more furry friends from Southern California! These dogs were already awaiting adoption when the devastating L.A. fires broke out and bringing them to the Bay Area makes more space for the influx of strays and evacuated pets from the fire zone. Some of these pups are currently undergoing veterinary care here at the shelter and one was already adopted! Check out this video of their arrival at Marin Humane! Thank you to The San Francisco SPCA, Amelia Air Animal Rescue, San Diego Humane Society, and Greater Good Charities for their support getting these pups to the bay!
Happy ending: A few weeks ago, we received a call from a concerned citizen who’d spotted an opossum clinging to the chainlink fence behind the baseball field at Olive Elementary in Novato. The opossum appeared to be stuck, and it was a rainy day to boot! Animals Services Officer Adrienne Russo arrived to find that the opossum was tangled in sports netting, which had gotten hooked to the fence. Unfortunately, she was also stuck 20 feet up, which means Officer Russo couldn’t reach her on her own. So she gave Novato Fire Protection District a ring, and Engine 62 responded right away to assist! Thanks to their 24 foot ladder, one of the firefighters was able to reach the opossum, cut her free from the fence, get her safely into a bucket, and carry her down to our ASO. Officer Russo then transported her to WildCare, where they removed the remainder of the net and made sure she was healthy enough to be released. We’re thrilled to share that about a week ago, the opossum was safely released into her home territory! Hooray! You can reach our Animal Services Officers 24/7 at 415-883-4621 in the event of wildlife emergencies, and WildCare’s hotline is staffed 9am-5pm at 415-456-7283. Thanks for looking out for our local wildlife!
Summer job opportunity: Do you, or someone you know, love working with kids, love sharing Marin Humane, and have their summer free?! Well, we’re accepting applications/resumes for a seasonal Summer Camp Instructor. See this for a complete job description. If interested in applying or know of anyone who might be interested, please click here.
Columbia Sportswear discount! The Columbia Sportswear Employee Store discount is available for a few more days! Here’s the Columbia Sportswear Store Winter Invitation valid through January 26th! For store access, please provide the invite (printed or shown on your mobile device) + proof of affiliation (your name badge should suffice), you can bring up to four additional guests with each visit, and this offer is for store access (not valid online). Happy shopping!
Be well!
Candace
