Greetings Volunteers!
Did you know it’s National Veterinary Technician Week? It is! And did you know our vet techs are absolutely amazing??? They are!!! Their work behind the scenes, caring for the animals in the shelter with so much dedication and compassion, is literally life-changing. So today (and every day) we say, THANK YOU to Andrea Reese, Charles Graber, Stephanie Prountzos, and Linda Schneider, Marin Humane’s fab four RVTs!
Shelter update: We currently have 337 animals in our collective care. 232 are at Marin Humane: 94 animals in foster and 138 animals in the shelter/Kitty Corner, including: 16 dogs, 3 puppies, 57 cats, 38 kittens, 7 rabbits, 10 guinea pigs, 1 reptile, 2 birds and 4 fowl. 105 animals are with Hopalong: 5 animals are in the Oakland office and 100 cats, kittens, dogs, and puppies are in foster or offsite adoption sites!
Adoptions update: Yay, hooray, it’s Wednesday! Thank you so much to ASPCA and Marin Subaru for their support during #SubaruLovesPets Month! Here are just some of the lucky animals who found their forever homes in the last week. Congrats to all the families and thank you for adopting! For more specific info, here’s the Adoption Report.
Hopalong happenings! We had some adorable puppies find their forever homes at Saturday’s Mobile Adoption Event at the Greenbrae Woodlands, including Obi Wan, Snoopy, and Whiskey! And we’re looking forward to some more fall fun later this month; we’ll be in San Rafael on the 21st and Mill Valley on the 28th. There will be some cute puppies available for adoption at both events, and we’d love to get some of our larger dogs out there, too! Now that April and Hawke have been adopted, we’ve got two new big cuties being fostered at Happy Hound in Oakland. Introducing Peppermint Patty and Linus! You can help get them adopted by spreading the word about them, or by helping transport one of them to and from the Mobile Adoption Events (contact Sam at smcnaughton@marinhumane.org if you’d like to help with the events).
B&Tea blog: Extra special thanks to volunteer Candace Key, a member of the Feline Intervention Team, for writing this month’s B&Tea blog post, “The Accidental Foster Mom.” A sweet, heart-warming story you’ll be sure to enjoy!
Community clinic update: From Community Engagement Coordinator and clinic organizer Shilo Landis: “We hosted a community clinic in the Canal area of San Rafael last Saturday where we provided vaccinations, microchips, flea medication, and other supplies to 113 pet guardians and their 153 pets (109 dogs and 44 cats)! Previous clinics were so well-attended that we had to turn people away, but we didn’t have to this time. An exciting trend we’ve seen is that more people are returning to the clinics year after year for continued care for their pets or are bringing records of vet services received elsewhere. We know the availability of services provided by our clinics is a big part of this but the education the guardians receive about the care their pets need also leads them to get follow-up care elsewhere. You’ll see in the photos the young girl who brought her puppy last year and brought the dog again this year.
With over half of the clients at this clinic preferring to communicate in Spanish, we are thankful to the bilingual staff and volunteers who were there. Many clients expressed their appreciation for this. One client told us that she had lost her job and the last time she took her two cats and dog to the vet for exams and vaccinations, it cost her $750. It 
took her months to pay off the bill, which affected her quality of life. When she got home that day, she cried at the thought of having to ehome her pets. Our community clinics help people like this woman care for their pets which reduces shelter admissions and keeps pets in their homes with the people who love them – an important part of our strategic plan.
A huge shout out to these Marin Humane volunteers who helped provide this valuable service to our community: Laurie Bernstein, Melanie Gilbert, Margarita Huertas, Elizabeth Needham, Maya Ostrander, and Michelle Trejo.
Tails of Marin: Now that fall is upon us, it’s important to be mindful of what this season means for our wildlife neighbors. Animals begin to migrate and forage for food in preparation for winter, deer enter the mating season and less daylight hours mean there’s an increased risk of animals getting hit by cars. In fact, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions peaks this time of year. Deer are most active at dawn and dusk, so people should be especially cautious driving at those times when they’re likely to be out feeding. Get more tips on how to Keep an eye out for wildlife this fall, this week’s Tails of Marin article.
Make a Dog’s Day! Raise your hand (or paw) if you love pets! 🐾🐾 Help us make a difference by adopting a pet during #SubaruLovesPets month! For each pet adopted during October, Marin Subaru will donate to our shelter. Thank you, Subaru, and thank you to the ASPCA, whose support helped us get animals ready for their forever homes this month. Also, on Sunday, October 22, enjoy $22 adoption fees for all our dogs to celebrate #MakeADogsDay!
Pet Food Express discount card: Pet Food Express works with a network of more than 300 animal shelters and rescues across California. They created the Pet Superhero discount program to thank the hard-working employees, volunteers, foster families, and countless other supporters that keep shelters running. As a Marin Humane + Hopalong volunteer, you’re eligible for the Pet Superhero Program which offers 10% off food and litter and 20% off everything else! If you’d like a Pet Superhero discount card, they are located in the tray outside the volunteer office in the Whittell building in Novato and in the Hopalong office.
Today is also National Chocolate Cupcake Day! I don’t know about you, but this photo makes me want to whip up some cupcakes, or to be real honest, run to the market and buy a dozen :). Hope you treat yourself to something chocolatey today — you deserve it!
Candace
