Greetings Volunteers,
Several volunteers have asked, “when will the shelter reopen?” Good question and one that I’m sure has been on a lot of your minds. Nancy McKenney provided this update last week:
“By the first week in October, we anticipate allowing customers, on a very limited basis, into our buildings for specific business needs — completing an adoption, buying a license, bringing in an animal, signing up for a training class or consult, or having their animal microchipped. A greeter will be positioned in front of our main building to assist with monitoring the flow and needs of our customers. Clients coming and going for a dog training class in the pavilion or one of our outdoor locations will be asked to proceed to their class location (B&T will handle class attendee restroom visits directly).
Staff will continue to work from home as much as possible for the remainder of the calendar year. The rotation of staff back into their workspaces will depend on the needs of each department. The split work teams (teams A and B) will continue for the safety and protection of staff. A change can occur if the animal population increases so much that we can’t sustain the split shifts or there are other reasons to merge the teams back into one. Please continue to wear your masks, maintain physical distancing as much as possible, and follow the protocols regarding cleaning and accessing certain portions of campus.”
Shelter update: We currently have 158 animals in our care: 80 animals at the shelter and 78 in foster. The shelter population consists of 17 dogs, 4 puppies, 32 cats, 23 kittens, 1 turtle, 1 snake, and 2 rabbits. Here is a cool stat: from March 16 to September 29, 2019 we transferred in 266 animals. For the same period this year we have transferred in 595 animals!
Adoptions update: Another week, another wonderful slide show of adoptions! Check out all these happy families welcoming their new furry family members. Since March 16th, we’ve done 1,062 adoptions, just a 4% decrease from last year. Go team!
Fire evacuation update: As you may have heard, Marin Humane has transferred animals from both Napa and Sonoma Animal Services to help those shelters make room for the animals of fire evacuees. If people contact us about pet boarding, we are encouraging them to seek options at shelters nearest them, boarding facilities, and of course, with family and friends. We are working with people on a case-by-case basis if they are unable to find help in their own counties and will accept emergency board animals on a limited basis. We are also in constant communication with our Sonoma and Napa partners.
Victory on AB 1788: Fantastic news! California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1788 into law making California the first state in the US to stop the use of dangerous, second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides and their damaging effects on wildlife. So many animals have suffered from the consistent use of these rodenticides – not just the rodents who consume them, but also the raptors, bobcats, mountain lions, coyotes, and other animals who depend on rodents as part of their diet. We’ve been fighting to stop this suffering for years so we’re thrilled that AB 1788 will impose a moratorium on these deadly and unnecessary rat poisons. Thank you to everyone who joined us in calling legislators, writing letters and articles, and otherwise fighting in favor of making this bill a law!
Tails of Marin: This week’s Tails of Marin was written by Carina DeVera, our digital marketing specialist, about her experience helping out in Butte County, along with Julia Cole (in the photo), our humane education coordinator. We thank them for their service in Butte county while also holding a good thought for our neighbors in Napa and Sonoma counties now.
Marin Humane & Hopalong Animal Rescue: We hope you enjoy this video with our CEO Nancy McKenney and Hopalong’s executive director Juliet Boyd. This video was featured at Gala 2020 as the focus of the Fund-a-Need. Enjoy!
Bunny fosters needed! Did you know that rabbits are litter boxed trained? Have individual personalities? Many play with toys, run through tunnels, enjoy chewing wicker/cardboard/old phone books and can do bunny binky’s! Well, they do! And Marin 
Humane is looking for more people to foster rabbits so the bunnies aren’t overwhelmed at the shelter by all the smells and dogs barking. Due to COVID-19, we’re not able to host Rabbit Romper Room, where volunteers interact with them, so they’re getting pretty bored. Rabbits are crepuscular which means they are most active in the morning, sleep during the day and then active again later in the afternoon/early evening. They are very neat and tidy and provide a great way for you to unwind while sitting near and petting them. Marin Humane will provide everything you need to keep your foster rabbit safely inside. If fostering an adorable bunny sounds intriguing, please contact our foster care 
coordinator Suzanne Gollin at sgollin@marinhumane.org. Cupcake is getting spayed soon and would love to go to foster while up for adoption 🙂
Be well and take good care,
Anne and Candace
