Greetings Volunteers,

As the holiday season is upon us, we want to paws and say thank you—for your compassion, your time, and the care you give so generously throughout the year. Because of you, animals who come through our doors feel warmth, kindness, and safety. Whether you walked dogs in the rain and heat, cleaned kennels or cages, fostered an animal, helped at events, or simply showed up when we needed it most, your efforts have made a lasting difference. 🐾 We are deeply grateful to have such a caring community standing beside us. Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful, peaceful holiday season and a New Year filled with happiness and good health. Thank you for being the heart of our shelter.

Shelter update: We currently have 271 animals in our collective care. 149 are at our Novato campus, including 26 dogs, 3 puppies, 69 cats, 28 kittens, 12 rabbits, 2 guinea pigs, 2 rodents, 6 reptiles, and 1 bird. There are no animals in our Oakland office for the holidays; 17 are at Kitty Corner and the Woodlands stores; and 90 are in foster homes! 

Adoptions update:  We hope everyone’s feeling the holiday spirit this week! Despite cold and rainy weather, our community keeps turning out to adopt and we’re so grateful. 🥰  Here’s a little slideshow of pre-holiday adoptions! Congratulations to all of last week’s adopters … and thanks for choosing to adopt, not shop. If you’d like more details on who went home, here’s the Adoption Report.

Hopalong happenings: Hopalong wants to give a big shoutout to Rebecca Forth! Rebecca is a superstar coordinator at our mobile adoption events. She is incredibly organized and responsible, so we know we can breathe a sigh of relief when she volunteers. Our dog program manager Alex says, “Rebecca brings so much positivity and is great at problem solving when issues arise – she’s amazing!” In addition to being a regular coordinator, she also fosters for us! See the picture to the right of one of her favorite foster kittens, Woogie. When asked about what motivates her to volunteer, Rebecca said, “Seeing a dog head home with an adopter that just found the missing piece of their family puzzle or getting an update of one of my fosters kittens living a spoiled and loved life is what truly makes this experience great.” We are grateful for your dedication, Rebecca!

Volunteer High Five to Kathi Ellick and Cat Caldwell! If you’ve visited the Marin Humane Thrift Shop in San Anselmo, you know you’re in for a treat (and if you haven’t been yet, head on over!). Not only will you find treasures of every kind, you’ll find a rack of homemade, beautiful greeting cards! Thanks to the artful efforts of Kathi Ellick and Cat Caldwell, you can buy birthday cards, get well cards, thank you cards, and many more! Kathi and Cat come to the small meeting room at the Novato campus every week to cut, paste, and decoupage greeting cards. As of December 1st, they’ve sold over 475 greeting cards, contributing nearly $1,500 to the Thrift Shop’s revenue. Please join me in giving a HUGE High Five to Thrift Shop volunteers Cat and Kathi for their crafty commitment to making greeting cards that ultimately benefit the shelter animals! We so appreciate the “Double Fun Cards by Cat and Kathi!” ~ Candace Alexander, Volunteer Engagement

Tails of Marin: “If you’ve ever had a pet, you already know that losing them is a unique kind of sorrow. And now that the holiday season is upon us, it’s difficult to feel very merry when you’re missing your best friend. The season, with all its nostalgia, can make the absence of a beloved animal feel sharper than ever.” Thus starts this week’s Tails of Marin piece, “Navigating pet loss during the holiday season.”

Happy ending! “Dear Catherine: Over a year ago, you introduced me to Diva at the Kitty Corner site in San Anselmo. I adopted her and she took to me right away. She was extremely scared and wary of other people. But after being with me for a while, she is a very happy well adjusted little cat in our home. I thought you might appreciate an update. She is a rare Snowshoe cat and we love her. Thanks again, Bob.”

Ho ho ho and merry merry! Wishing you have the happiest of holidays :)!

Candace