Greetings Volunteers,
January is Adopt a Rescued Bird Month … and a great time to bring a new feathered friend into your home! People who have adopted birds as pets often say they prefer them for their delightful songs, playful nature, ease of care compared to larger animals, and their colorful plumage. And some birds are particularly affectionate, bonding strongly to their people :). Birds also blend well with people of all ages, making them great companions for children and families. Interested? Take a look at the birds (and other small critters) up for adoption here.
Shelter update: We currently have 225 animals in our collective care. 184 are at Marin Humane: 60 animals in foster and 124 animals in the shelter/Kitty Corner, including: 18 dogs, 1 puppy, 48 cats, 14 kittens, 16 rabbits, 8 guinea pigs, 2 rodents, 7 reptiles, 5 birds, and 5 fowl. 41 animals are with the Hopalong Foster Program: 4 animals are in the Oakland office and 37 are in foster or offsite adoption sites!
Adoption update: Gooood afternoon and welcome to the weekly adoption slideshow! Let’s have a round of applause for all the animals who found their new homes – and for the folks who chose to adopt, not shop!
! Here’s the Adoption Report if you’d like the specifics on who started 2025 in a new home!
Hopalong happenings! Beaker came to us from a local shelter after having had a rough start at life. Soon after coming to the Hopalong Foster Program he was placed in a fantastic foster home and started his journey to find his family. As luck would have it, a former Marin Humane employee who was already a pet parent to another French Bulldog saw him and reached out. We arranged a meeting between the potential adopter, their family dog, and Beaker. Good news! It was a perfect match! Beaker is now living his best dog life with his new parents and canine sibling, and we couldn’t be happier for him and his new family!
Volunteer High Five to Holiday Volunteers! “I’d like to give a huge shout-out to all the Animal Care volunteers, Dog Pet Pals, and Feline Intervention Team volunteers who came in on Christmas and New Year’s Day! They took time away from their families and busy lives to clean kennels and condos, feed the critters, do laundry, walk dogs, and socialize the cats. How wonderful are our volunteers every day?! … but we’re especially filled with gratitude when they come to help on the big holidays!
Thank you, Animal Care volunteers Anne, Christine, Dan, Elizabeth, Ilana, Jessica, Kathy, Kelly, Laurie, Mandi, Marcia, Nancy, Patti, Rachel, Sam, Terry, and Theani! Thank you, Dog Pet Pals Ann Marie, Bob Burt, Dawn, Donna, Gary, John, Julie, Linda, Mandi, Melissa, Neil, Rachel, Rich, and Saffell! Thank you, FIT volunteers Candace, Donna, Elizabeth, and Lynne!” With much appreciation from the staff and all of the shelter animals! ~ Candace Alexander
Happy ending! Sweet, beautiful Kirra was with us at the shelter for a year. And then the purr-fect adopters came along last week, and joy spread through the halls! Here’s what her adopter has to report: “Thank you guys for all that you’ve done for Kirra, we love her so much and she’s such a spark of joy to have around. Her favorite thing to do is race us to the kitchen, roll around on the kitchen floor, watch us cook and then cuddle close on the couch while watching TV. It’s only been a few days but she seems very much at peace and she’s really made herself at home. The first day she had a moment where she was walking around hissing but hasn’t shown any signs of aggression since adjusting. She plays with her toys, rushes all around the house, lets me pick her up and hold her, purrs, and she even fell asleep in my arms. Just amazing how quickly she became so comfortable. ♥️”
Make a personal statement: Year after year, bequests from animal lovers who have included Marin Humane in their estate plans help make our tagline “Lives made happy” a reality. The generosity of these forward-thinking supporters enables Marin Humane to provide compassionate care and lifesaving services to thousands of loved animals. When you remember Marin Humane with a bequest you make not only a personal statement about who you are, what you care about, and what kind of world you want to leave behind, but you ensure our work will continue well into the future. If you’d like to explore creating your legacy by making a bequest to Marin Humane, please visit this webpage or contact Nan Zimmerman at 415-506-6233 or at nzimmerman@marinhumane.org.
Tails of Marin: In this first Tails of Marin article of 2025, Lisa Bloch writes, “I often say that I enjoy working in animal welfare because it’s an evolving field. For decades, animal shelters, like Marin Humane, would mostly operate as a place to accept stray animals and pets relinquished by their guardians. These guardians, some coming to the shelter in tears, often felt they had no choice but to make the gut-wrenching decision to give up their pet. The most common reason was financial difficulties. Some couldn’t afford veterinary treatment, some couldn’t afford a trainer for troublesome behavior, and some couldn’t even afford pet food. Now we can offer a “pet safety net” for struggling pet parents. Read the full article here, “A safety net for Marin pet parents.”
Columbia Sportswear discount! Yeah, the Columbia Sportswear Employee Store Perk is here again! Here’s the Columbia Sportswear Store Winter Invitation valid for volunteers and staff. The offer runs from January 3rd – January 26th! Save up to 50% off select styles starting tomorrow, including new Fall products from their family of brands – Columbia, Mountain Hardwear, SOREL and prAna – items are marked at employee store pricing. 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!
Wishing you a terrific week!
Candace
