Greetings Volunteers,
2023 brought some great news for animals! Californians can now officially celebrate the end of fur sales in the Golden State. A statewide ban on the sale of new animal fur products went into effect on January 1st, making California the first state in the U.S. to implement such a ban. Our state’s ban on the sale of fur products is expected to make a massive dent in the fur industry and help end the suffering of millions of animals. Read more on this win for animals!
Shelter update: We currently have 178 animals in our care at Marin Humane: 50 animals in foster and 128 animals in the shelter/Kitty Corner, including: 35 dogs, 1 puppy, 50 cats, 7 kittens, 12 rabbits, 7 guinea pigs, 8 rodents, 3 reptiles, 3 birds, and 2 fowl. Hopalong has 72 animals in their care, 14 kitties in the Oakland office and 59 cats and dogs in fabulous foster homes!
Adoptions update: Hooray for Hump Day! We’re feeling as sunny as the weather outside. Look at all the lucky animals who found their homes last week! Doesn’t it just make you feel all warm inside?? Enjoy the adoption slideshow and the Adoption Report which includes details on who was adopted this past week at both Marin Humane and Hopalong.
Hopalong happenings! On Saturday the 21st Hopalong’s mobile adoption event in San Rafael was a 100% success! Four dogs found their forever homes! We’re looking forward to the next event on Saturday the 28th at the Novato Woodlands Pet Food & Treats store.
Items needed for the community clinic: At the community clinics, we offer free vaccinations, microchipping, flea/tick treatments, food/supplies, and a mini check-up by a veterinarian. For the upcoming clinic on February 4th, we could really use new or gently used leashes. Leashes are among the most-requested items at every community event, and we usually run out quickly! If you have a leash of any type, color, or size that you no longer need, please consider donating it to the community clinic; you can simply drop it off at the shelter in one of the donation bins located upfront. Thank you!
Volunteer High Five for the Dog Pet Pals: During the atmospheric river phase of January, Jane Aten, Shelter Dog Behavior Coordinator, wrote: “How about this weather we’re having? You’d be crazy to go outside in conditions like this! Enter 
Dog Pet Pals (DPPs). Our DPPs have been coming in all hours, seven days a week, to walk shelter dogs. The standard DPP shift is 2-3 hours, though some are here as long as 5 hours. That’s 2-3 hours in the rain with a wet, muddy dog who will jump up on any chance they get. Some DPPs drive here (on the flooded freeways) from as far south as Sausalito, as far north as Sonoma, and as far east as Martinez. That’s some serious dedication! One volunteer recently started an email thread, letting everyone know there are great rainproof pants at Costco right now. (Thanks, Linda!) When someone needs to miss a shift, another DPP steps in to cover. Not only are they dedicated to helping the dogs, but they also always look out for each other. I’m grateful to work with such an incredible crew of humans. I don’t know many people that will voluntarily get jumped on, pulled around, muddy, and soaked for hours at a time. High five to our eternally dedicated Dog Pet Pals!“
Tails of Marin: Have you noticed a lot more mushrooms around Marin since the rains? Learn more in this week’s Tails of Marion, “Keep Pets Safe From Dangerous Mushrooms.
Happy ending! We don’t often get emails from adopters of our “barn animals,” like pigeons, so it was particularly gratifying to hear that one of the pigeons has landed in a perfect home: “I just wanted to give you an update on Helicopter (now Bestie), the white pigeon we adopted a few months ago. She is doing great! She has changed the life of a very sad widow named Rocky. They are on their fourth nest together! Yay! I just wanted to thank you all so much!”
Discounts galore! As Marin Humane/Hopalong volunteers, there are a few ongoing discounts available to you as well as seasonal discount offerings. Here’s a quick recap:
VCA Animal Hospitals, VIP Pet Perks: The 2023 VCA Animal Hospitals discount cards have arrived. The discount card provides a free first exam, plus 20% off veterinary services every visit. The discount includes: preventive care, dentals, vaccinations, and diagnostics. (Please see card for details, and call your VCA Animal Hospital to confirm their participation). Feel free to stop by my office and pick-up a VCA VIP Pet Perks card (which are in an envelope in the tray outside the volunteer office).
Pet Food Express, Pet Superhero Program: If you shop at Pet Food Express, you’re gonna want this discount card! As a volunteer, you can enroll in the Pet Superhero Program and receive 10% off food and litter and 20% off everything else in their stores and online. These Pet Superhero cards are also located in the tray outside my office. Simply follow the instructions on the card to activate your discount.- Columbia Sportswear: Don’t forget that Marin Humane and Hopalong volunteers have exclusive access to the Columbia Sportswear Employee Store in Richmond for a few more days, until January 29th! Here’s the Columbia Sportswear Store Winter Invitation for more information. Happy shopping!
Nugget Markets, Community Scrip Card: Marin Humane has been a beneficiary of Nugget Market’s scrip program for several years. Through this program we receive between 1-4% of revenues based on total monthly purchases by shoppers who have registered and chosen Marin Humane as their preferred charity. If you shop at any Nugget Market, it takes just a few minutes to register and select Marin Humane as the non-profit beneficiary. I’ve placed some Nugget cards in an envelope in the tray outside the volunteer office!
Hope you’re having a good week!
Candace