Hello volunteers!
I’d like to give a huge thank you to the volunteers who helped make the Bay Area Pignic 2026 such a fun, successful event! Thank you Kristin and Nancy for coming early to help set-up; thank you Dinah and Pam for checking-in families; thank you Maddie for selling baked goods; thank you Carmen and Vera for managing the raffle; thank you Lynn, Maria, Rainey, and Tracey for helping with tattoos and crafts; and last but not least, thank you Chris, Chris, Christine, Lyn, and Paula for engaging with the guinea pig-loving families throughout the day. These folks helped 8 guinea pigs find their forever homes on Saturday – Woo-hoo!!
I’d also like to give a special shout-out 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 adorable guinea pig cookies, to chocolate chip cookies (vegan ones, too!), rocky road bars, brownies, pecan bars, oatmeal spice cookies, strawberry shortbread bars, s’mores cookies, and much more, their fantastic baking creations were sold out before days end! Thank you, Becky, Carol, Debra, Diana, Heidi, Jennifer, Kristan, Maddie, Mary, Megan, Nancy, Rina, Sarah, and Veronica for contributing to the Pignic Bake Sale! It was a huge hit and a revenue-generator for the event. See below photos of adorable Pignic guests and some of their fabulous costumes!
Shelter update: We currently have 315 animals in our collective care. 153 are at our Novato campus, including 24 dogs, 5 puppies, 66 cats, 43 kittens, 4 rabbits, 4 guinea pigs, 3 birds, and 3 fowl. 25 animals are in our Oakland office; 13 are at Kitty Corner and the Woodlands stores; and 124 are in foster homes.
Adoption update: Greetings and happy September! As you can see, it was a great week of adoptions – and even busier thanks to Bark & Meow Around the Block at Berkeley Humane! Congratulations to all the adopters!!🥰 Hope you enjoy this week’s Adoption Report :).
Hopalong happenings! We’re excited to welcome and introduce you all to another new member of our Hopalong Oakland team. Meet Monica, she will be helping in the office, mainly doing animal care and some adoption support, too. Here’s a little more about Monica, hopefully you will meet her at Hopalong Foster office soon! Monica brings over seven years of experience working and volunteering in animal shelters, with a strong background in animal care, adoptions, customer service, and community engagement. Her passion for helping animals began with fostering puppies for Hopalong in 2018, an experience that grew into a lasting commitment to animal welfare. Outside of work, music is one of Monica’s greatest passions. She enjoys traveling to other states for music festivals, skiing in Tahoe, gardening, and, of course, a good cup of coffee. Monica is also a proud mom to a middle schooler and a high school senior. She volunteers with her daughter’s Girl Scout troop and can often be found cheering on her teenage son at baseball games. Her family includes three beloved pets: Zuchini, a senior German Shepherd; a three-legged Ragdoll mix adopted from a local shelter; and Betty Crocker, a Frenchie adopted from Hopalong who became a classic “foster fail.” Monica’s love for animals extends far beyond her work—it’s truly a part of who she is. Welcome to the team, Monica!!
Thank you, Petaluma! As of September 1, 2026, Marin Humane will end its temporary management of Petaluma’s animal shelter and field services. For more information, please visit the City of Petaluma’s website. The City of Petaluma asked for our help in early spring, and since April 1 we’ve been on the ground there, both at the shelter and in the field. We reunited stray animals with worried families, provided wildlife rescue, investigated cruelty complaints, and, of course, found loving homes for many animals while we were there (among other things). For more details on what Marin Humane’s presence and service in Petaluma entailed, click here. We’re grateful to the community for their trust, and we look forward to a brighter future for the animals of Petaluma and the people who love them. ❤.
Tails of Marin: With September designated as National Preparedness Month, it’s a good time to be reminded of the importance of preparedness for every member of our family, pets included. Read this week’s Tails of Marin for great tips: “When planning for emergencies, don’t forget about your pets.”
Columbia Sportswear Discount! The summer discount at the Columbia Sportswear employee store in Richmond is good through September 7th! Use this Columbia Sportswear Store Summer Invitation for great deals on a variety of clothing through the Labor Day weekend 🙂
Foster Open House! Ever wondered what it’s really like to foster? Here’s your chance to find out – no commitment required, just curiosity welcome! Join us for a free open house on our Novato campus, where you can peek behind the scenes and get all your fostering questions answered over snacks and good company. 📆Saturday, October 3 🕐11am – 12:30pm 📍171 Bel Marin Keys Blvd., Novato. Come meet:
🐾Our foster coordinators, who’ll walk you through the different ways to get involved (spoiler: there’s a fostering fit for almost every lifestyle!) 🐾Real foster families, sharing their honest, heartwarming (and sometimes hilarious) stories from the field 🐾Our new Behavior Foster Liaison, who’ll share how our Behavior & Training team has your back every step of the way with dog fosters 🐾The shelter itself! Take a guided tour and see exactly what goes on behind the scenes Fostering transforms lives – especially for our dogs who are waiting for a little extra love and a soft place to land. Whether you’ve got room for one weekend or more, we want to help you find the fostering path that works for you. It’s free, it’s fun, and the animals will thank you! Just RSVP so we know to save you a seat (and maybe a pup snuggle). Click here to RSVP!
Have a wonderful and relaxing holiday weekend! And enjoy some cuteness from the Bay Area Pignic!
Candace
