Opportunities July 9th and Forward

Mid-Summer Fun

• When: Thursday, July 17th am and pm
• Where: Emeryville to Berkeley/Berkeley to Emeryville
• What: pick up a dog at Every Dog Has Its Day Care in Emeryville at about 7:30 and bring her to Campus vet in Berkeley. Pick up the dog in the afternoon (about 4:30 ish usually) and bring her back to Every Dog. Your car- do one drive or both!

• When: Last Wednesday of the month, 5-7pm (June 25, July 30, etc. Pick one or all!)
• Where: Tiburon Tavern, Marin
• What: 1 volunteer to set up and manage an event table at Yappy Hour. Every month, the Tiburon Tavern hosts a happy hour where guests can bring their dogs. We're the featured nonprofit! Schmooze and talk up Hopalong!

• When: Daily- pick a weekly shift (Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday available)
• Where: Woodlands, Mill Valley (Marin)
• What: Cat Care! Join our Cat Care Team as we adopt out kittens through December. This is one of our favorite places for adoptions- last year we did over 100 adoptions! These volunteers socialize kittens and help keep the place clean and healthy. Cleaning is involved :)

• When: Anytime!
• Where: Home!
• What: Help research events where Hopalong can have a presence. Think street fairs, festivals, etc. 

• When: Ongoing
• Where: Wherever you'd like
• What: Help build out the humane education program. We've got big plans for the 2014-2015 school year and need help putting them into place. If you've got education experience, we'd love to hear from you.

• When: Saturday, July 19th, 10-3
• Where: East Bay SPCA adoptathon- Jack London Square
• What: 3 dog handlers for the dog mobile, 1 driver to, 1 from, 1 coordinator

• When: Wednesday, July 16th, morning
• Where: from office to Fremont
• What: bring kittens to get spayed! Van available or take your car

Wednesday!

Hi everyone!

I hope today finds you well and celebrating a great A’s win! Or at least celebrating all of the great adoptions- we can barely keep kittens in and send thanks to all of the dog fosters who have been answering our requests so quickly! We hope those guys will go very quickly as well.

Today is one of those “ask-y” emails- I’ve got a ton of things coming up and lots of cool ways you can participate!

As always, all of the details are on the weekly blog- this is something I started about 6 months ago to help all of us (me included) to help keep track of what’s available. I think that blogs might be a little 2007, but it is a quick way to both share the details of what’s coming up in case you want to jump on something AND to keep these emails from being newspaper length (newspapers might also be a little 2007, but you know what I mean!)

Here are the short versions of what’s needed- any and all help is really REALLY appreciated! There are a ton of other things- things from home, further out events, etc.

·         This Friday: A drive to pick up fixed kittens at Aborn (Fremont). Van available, timing flexible!

·         This Saturday (the 21^st) from 12-3: Basically EVERYTHING for a dog mobile at the Pet Food Express in Rockridge- a coordinator, 3 handlers, a driver to/from.

·         Tuesday, June 24^th: A morning drive (between 7:30 and 8:30) to shuttle a little dog for her neuter appointment from a daycare in Emeryville to a vet in Berkeley. Short drive, your car.

·         Ongoing Marin opportunities- cats and events- talk to me or read the details.

·         July 4^th: walk in the Alameda 4^th of July Parade! Have a great time, hold a banner, hand out postcards, etc. 11:30-2:30 ish. Still plenty of time for other events. Bring the kids!

Wednesday Update

Hi everyone and happy end of Wednesday!

Thank you, everyone, for putting up with and stepping up for Maddie’s- we’re almost through! This weekend (Saturday, May 31^st and Sunday, June 1^st) we will have over SIXTY animals for adoption at Bay Street, Emeryville. Sounds like a lot because it IS a lot! And we can only do it because of all of your hard work- fostering dogs and puppies and kittens and cats and volunteering hundreds of hours leading up to this and through this event and even afterwards. We’ll keep you updated on the adoptions through twitter/facebook/Instagram and, of course, email! (You can also just stop by!)

For those of you who have volunteered to help at Maddie’s: you will be receiving an email with instructions on Friday! We could still use a few more dog handlers from 3-6 pm on Saturday , and if you’re signed up for the first shift (12-3) either day and can come early and set up, that would be wonderful! Just let me know. If you have some spare time Friday, we could also use a little set up work then! (All remaining shifts here.)

In the meantime, rescue work continues as usual and so does the poop! As kitten season is in full swing, we are running low on kitty litter! If you have any friends that might want to give in some way- this would be a great place to start! (You don’t have to tell them about the poop unless you really want to.)

Anyway, thanks, everyone, and have a wonderful rest of the week.

Best,

Happy Friday!

Hi All!

Don’t worry- it’s not Wednesday, I just didn’t want a week to go by without checking in with everyone! You made it, and now a three-day weekend is here. The office *will be closed on Monday.

Thank you all for stepping up SO QUICKLY for all of those drives last week- that was a marathon! So many dogs got fixed so quickly- thanks to you guys and our partners at Every Dog and Campus vet. We’ve still got tons and tons of Maddie’s shifts left. They’re all listed here. Most urgently, we have a drive to Fremont any time after noon (12pm) on Tuesday to get tons of kittens fixed. There are drives almost every day after that, help on Friday afternoon, and all kinds of shifts both Saturday and Sunday- really something for everyone! This is a perfect time to really help Hopalong and the animals. We adopt out over 50 (!!) animals at this event: adoptions are free and Maddie’s subsidizes the organization with large donations for each adoption. This is what it’s about- saving lives so we can save more lives! Some of you have even been referring these opportunities and animals to your friends- thank you!

Have a wonderful and safe holiday and I look forward to hearing from you (and seeing you!) soon!

Best,

Happy Wednesday

Hi All,

I hope you and your pets are staying cool today or enjoying the sun or maybe a little bit of both!

First, it’s time to give out our Volunteer of the Month award! April’s honoree is Gina Altomare who has been rocking the dog program this month! Gina has been here tirelessly, helping Erica with the dirty work and the busy work and some of the fun work, too! Thanks, Gina, for screening apps, driving dogs, cleaning and setting up, doing paperwork, and all of the other good stuff!

Next, some awesome news! Long term dogs Kevin (in his home, left) and Janie were both adopted this week! Thank you to fosters Erin and Patty and Godwin (and families!) for loving these guys for a little longer than usual.

We’ve got so much stuff coming up that there’s no way I’ll be able to fit it all in here without writing one of my novel-length emails. Short version: we’ve got cat shifts available galore in various places. We still need a handler and a driver for this Saturday’s dog mobile. The Skip-a-Thon is coming up Saturday the 10^th and we need 2 volunteers and you can also just go and skip along! (See what I did there?) As usual, all of the opportunities here- and many many more including Maddie’s (May 31^st-June 1^st) are here, in detail. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks, everyone, and have a great evening!

Opportunities April 28 and Forward!

• When: Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays 9:30ish-10:30ish (ongoing) 
• Where: The Office
• What: Weekly Cat Care shift. Kitten season is here and it's messy! We need volunteers to love on these guys and not mind scooping and scrubbing! Sign up to get down and dirty and your kitten fix at the same time.

• When: Saturday, May 3, 12-3
• Where: Pet Food Express, Berkeley (San Pablo and University)
• What: 1 dog handlers, 1 transporter to/from

• When: Monday, Tuesdays and Thursdays anytime (ongoing) and some other shifts during the week
• Where: PetCo, Alameda
• What: Cat Cuddling at our mobile adoption site in Alameda

• When: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays (ongoing), afternoons
• Where: The Office
• What: Cat Cuddling at the office

• When: An evening TBD 
• Where: At the office
• What: Thank-a-Thon. We will be calling all donors ($5-$50,000) starting this month on a weekday evening that works for as many volunteers as possible. If you're interested in this, please let me know what weekday is best so we can get started!

• When: Sundays, Ongoing (and some other shifts)
• Where: Petsmart, Pinole
• What: Cat cuddling at our mobile adoption site in Pinole

UNUSUAL BUT AWESOME!

• When: Saturday, May 10th
• Where: San Francisco
• What: Skip-a-thon! This is a walk-a-thon type event but skipping! The whole world is invited to, well, skip! We'll need 2 volunteers, but mostly we'll need you to come, have fun, and skip! More info coming soon, but registration now available here.

• When: Ongoing, about an hour a week, spread out
• Where: Home
• What: Write posts for our new blog! We've got the topics, you provide the content!

WAY IN THE FUTURE! Mark your calendars and sign up now!

• When: Saturday, May 31st-Sunday June 1st
• Where: Emeryville
• What: Maddie's Adoptathon! We'll need everything- dog handlers and coordinators, cat handlers and coordinators, basically everyone! So fun, so busy!

• When: Friday, July 4th
• Where: Alameda
• What: We'll be joining Alameda See Spot run in the Alameda 4th of July parade- 3 miles of fun! We may have a mobile, we'll definitely have kids, and it will be really hot and fun :)

• When: Sautrday, May 17th, 2-6:30 PM
• Where: Emeryville (Bay Street)
• What: 4 3 people to help out at the Wine Walk! This is a SUPER fun event where people buy tickets and drink wine! All proceeds go to Hopalong. Schmooze, talk up Hopalong, dance a little!

Wonderful Wednesday!

Hi all and happy Wednesday!

I hope you are doing well! We’ve had a whirlwind week here- 5 more puppies came in today (thank you to the fosters who stepped up so quickly to take these guys in!) Kittens have started and thank you also to the fosters who are coming in almost daily to pick up litters! If you didn’t receive an email about kitten fostering last week and think kitten fostering is for you, please let me know!

We’ve got some volunteer opportunities coming up- some new, some old, and they’re on the blog. One of the things we need most urgently is a prize wheel. Strange request, I know, but I know there are crafty members of this list, and it’s your moment to shine! We also need someone to start managing our Craigslist postings again. This takes about an hour a week, but in chunks spread out throughout the week. Not hard, super super helpful!

You might not have heard yet, but Maddie’s Pet Adoption Days are coming right up! If you weren’t with us last summer or somehow slept through June, Maddie’s is an all-hands-on-deck type event, and the earlier the better in terms of sign-ups! If you’re free for any part of May 31^st (Saturday) or June 1^st (Sunday), let me know! We need *everyone- dogs, cats, tablers, etc! This is a really fun adoption event at Bay Street, Emeryville when basically all of our animals get adopted. More details to come, but for now, mark your calendars and let me know if you’re available!

As always, thank you for everything, and have a wonderful rest-of-week.

Best,

Wednesday is Here!

Hi everyone,

Happy Wednesday! I hope April is treating everyone well!

We had two awesome adoptions this week (among others): Homer, the older lab and Lulu, the senior kitty, who some of you know from upstairs! YAY! We love seeing these guys go home any time of year, but this is especially cool right at the beginning of puppy mayhem and kitten season! If you’re interested in kitten fostering and you didn’t receive an email earlier today, please let us know!

If you’re free this Saturday (the 19^th) and in for a trip to Marin, or already there and want an outing, we’ll be at West Elm in Strawberry Village from 12-3 with a dog mobile and we always love to see you! Say “hi” to Juliet and meet Ashley and Jill if you haven’t already!

We are saying goodbye this week to one of our most amazing and long-term volunteers and fosters, Kathy Taylor who is moving to another state. You may have met her downstairs: she’s responsible for the days that the store room was clean and organized (we take credit for the days that it’s a mess). She’s fostered a bajillion cats and kittens, is an indispensable and irreplaceable member of the “cat coven” and we will not be able to replace her. It’s with great honor that we bestow upon her a Lifetime Achievement Award and wish her and the kitties a safe journey to Arkansas.

Thanks, guys, for all of your hard work!

Best,

Dear all,

This week (April 6-12) is Volunteer Appreciation Week! At Hopalong we want to thank every single one of you (and your families who support you supporting us) for everything you do: opening your home to homeless animals, putting animals on the web, cleaning cages and puppy pee, cuddling cats, handling animals at mobile adoptions, screening adopters, driving, driving and more driving, data entry, making phone calls, making promotional emails and all of the other really important things that I’m unintentionally forgetting! Thank you for making this rescue a success, from staff AND from the animals!

Speaking of staff, we have another new addition- long-time volunteer Jill Oana has joined the team as the Development and Partnerships Director! I’m a little chuffed about this because Jill attended one of the very first volunteer orientations that I ran- I guess that worked out okay! Come say “hi” and introduce yourself if you haven’t met her already- she’s sitting up by the front desk. Here’s what she has to say:

Greetings.  For those of you that I haven't met yet, it's an honor to work with you and the rest of the amazing team at Hopalong Animal Rescue.  I started volunteering at Hopalong a year ago and couldn't get enough so now it's time for me to dedicate all of my time to developing partnerships and new ways to generate funding on behalf of our cherished four-legged animals in need.

Currently, my four-legged daughter is Sheba, we rescued her a couple of years ago and she keeps me quite busy.  In addition to adoring animals, I love bright colors, beaches, pizza, chocolate, movies, historic novels & pondering time travel.  In my previous life, I focused on partnerships, marketing, & business development for startups and global companies and I'm thrilled to make the transition to Hopalong.


The rest of the news isn’t so exciting: I’ve got some creative opportunities on the blog if you’re in the mood for something different! And get ready for May, because we’ve got lots and lots of fun stuff in store!

Best, 

Welcome, Ashley!

Hi everyone! 

Thank goodness it's not REALLY Wednesday, but I wanted to send everyone a quick email, even though it's late. I have the pleasure of introducing Ashley Davidson, our new Feline Program Manager to you. We're really lucky to have her- I've known her for years and she's pretty rad. Hopefully you'll all get to meet her on your next time in the office- you're pretty rad, too, and she's hearing all about you! Not surprisingly, you can email her at ashley@hopalong.org.

Here's what she says:

I wanted to introduce myself to all the awesome fosters and volunteers at Hopalong and to thank you for all that you do for the organization. My name is Ashley and I’m the new Feline Program Manager. I have worked with animals since 2000, volunteering at various animal shelters. I started working in the animal welfare nonprofit in 2011, caring for neonatal kittens, dogs, and cats, and helping with spay neuter clinics. I am very passionate about animal welfare and animal rights! I am vegan and I love to cook and bake healthy things, make smoothies and fresh juices, etc. I love to go camping, go on hikes, and be in nature whenever I can. I also enjoy antiquing and bike riding. I have 2 cats (Old Man and Bat Boy who are siblings and boss me around whenever they can) that are going to be 5 this month.  I fostered them when they were kittens, from a municipal shelter, because their mother was not caring for them and as a result they were not thriving. I fell in love with them, brought them back to health, and could not resist adopting them. I am very excited to work for this wonderful organization and I look forward to meeting all of you!

Thanks everyone, and back to regularly scheduled Wednesday emails, I hope, next week!

Best,

Wednesday Updates!

Hi All,

Hope you’re having a great  week and enjoying the sun!

Thank you everyone for all of your contributions this week!Thanks to the awesome group who came out last week to learn how to screen dog adoption applications- what a great group! Thanks to the cat crew for being flexible with a little last minute hoopla at the event Saturday, and for the dog crew for putting on a nice event. Adoptions are going really well- this is all thanks to all of your hard work and dedication. We also said a sad goodbye to longtime volunteer Christine who has come in weekly to socialize cats and send thank you letters to our donors. Tears were shed. We wish her the best of luck in her move.

For those of you not in the facebook group, Coco the longterm office cat was adopted from a site last week- very exciting!

We have a lot of varied opportunities coming up. I’ve put them all, along with details, on the blog. There are weekend and weekday opportunities including regular opportunities at the office and even something in Marin! Also, for those of you who like to plan ahead, mark your calendars! The Maddie’s Adoptathon (all hands on deck, for those of you who haven’t been there, and even those who have) is Saturday, May 31^st and Sunday, June 1^st. It’s not too early to sign up! After that, the EBSPCA Adoptathon is Saturday, July 19^th. Both of these events will need everything: dog handlers, dog coordinators, cat people- coordinators and assistants and floaters and, well, everything! They’re fun events! Also save the date of May 10^th for a Skip-a-Thon. If you don’t know what that is, well, neither do I, but it sounds really fun!

For those of you that have or know kids, stop by Alameda See Spot Run this Saturday at 1pm for a free educational event! Details here.

Thanks again, for all of your hard work!

Best,

Happy Wednesday!

Hi Everyone,

Hope your weekend is treating you well! Thank you for everything this week- lots of wonderful contributions to the animal cause this week. I look forward to seeing many of you tonight at the screening training.

I can’t send this email without telling you about the wonderful class we just taught today in Richmond atCésar Chávez Elementary to a group of 6^th graders. Students had chosen the topic themselves, so this was the first week of a unit on pit bulls. Rollie was happy to oblige (pictured)! Humane education is such an awesome way to talk about all kinds of things and really get out the message of kindness, compassion and respect. It’s wonderful to watch the wheels turn as they see appropriate treatment of animals and discuss real-world scenarios.

Next, we’ve got some dogs who really could use out of boarding. If you’ve got a warm spot in your house, even for a little bit and are mostly animal-free,Janie, Corky and Kevin all really need fosters. These are all great dogs but can’t show that or get adopted from boarding, so we’d really like to get them to fosters like yesterday. Fish owners or pet-fix needers, this is your moment to shine! (Janie may be able to chill with a cat, not sure about Corky or Kevin.)

I’ve updated the blog again with lots of opportunities. We’re still looking for a driver for this Saturday to the mobile adoption event at PetCo Unleashed on Lakeshore- 12:15ish-1 and 4:00-4:30.

And if you’re hungry the next day or two (and who doesn’t get hungry in the next day or two?), check out Pasta Pomodoro who is generously donating a portion of proceeds at a few locations March 5^thand 6^th. Info here.

Thanks again, everyone, and be well!

Wednesday! Wednesday!

Hi Everyone, it’s that time!

First, welcome to all the new and new-ish volunteers and fosters! We’ve had an influx of awesome-ness lately, and thank you! Your enthusiasm is really wonderful.

Next, we’ve got a whole bunch of opportunities and chances for you to jump in. You can see them all here with details. They include cat cuddling, posting our adoptable animals on Craigslist, the thank-a-thon I keep talking about, adoption screening and more! Most urgently, we still need 3 dog handlers and a driver for this Saturday’s mobile adoption event at Fenton’s (12-3). We also need two strong people because my wish has finally been granted and we can have a copier if we can move it soon!

I’ve received two requests from the dog side: we’ve been rescuing dogs left and right (awesome!) and need fosters! If you’ve got a spot right now or friends who are interested, holler! Also, if you have a crate or x-pen at home that belongs here, we could really use them back. If you can’t get them here during business hours, let us know and we’ll work something out.

In the good news department, Buddy, our first basset hound that we can remember was adopted this week! This guy was super cute, super big and, well, super loud! Thank you Every Dog for fostering him! Milo, our cat from Hong Kong was also adopted- adult cat adoptions are really wonderful.

Last, facebook group for volunteers and fosters is great- if you still need an invite, please let me know. I love seeing before/after foster pictures, hearing about events, etc!

Thanks again, everyone, for everything!

Better Late Than Never, Short and Sweet

All the cliches in one title!

Happy Wednesday, Hopalong fosters and volunteers! I've just got a little Wednesday email for you today!

First, thanks to those who showed up in the rain and slightly icky weather for the event last Saturday, both to socialize and volunteer. You rock! Thanks to Erica M. who's been coming in and doing some quite tedious office work and to Katie S. who has gotten our storage into tip top shape!

Second, we've got a mobile this Saturday and it's going to be busy! We still need handlers and an extra person who is trained to screen/coordinate to help out our main coordinator. Please let me know and check out the other upcoming activities here (there are lots!). 

Next, we've got a small "needs assessment" survey going out about the humane education program. It would be *wonderful if you could share this widely (and take it, if you feel like you're invested in community youth in any way). The more people who see it/take it, the better our program will be!

Last, if you haven't already, please let me know if you'd like to join our facebook group for fosters and volunteers. Just let me know what email address to invite you with and I will send you an invite!

Thank you guys, I really love working with you (if I don't tell you that often enough!)- and happy almost Valentine's Day!

Best,

Wednesday Email! Time to Get Together!

 Howdy, Guys,

I’ve got some news, some opportunities, and TWO invitations!

First news- Scooter, our longest term Hopalong animal, was adopted last week! Any of you who have been to the office in the last TWO years have probably met him- and he has left the building! Cats, staff and volunteers are still adjusting to his absence but we’re all thrilled for him and his new family.

Next comes opportunities, we’re really looking for some volunteers for this Saturday, the 8th. We need 3 more dog handlers and a coordinator for the event happening. Timing is 3-5pm, and it will be FUN! See next item!

First invitation: This Saturday, February 8th, we’re having a “Share the Love” social at Wooden Duck, a furniture store in Berkeley (1823 Eastshore Hwy) and everyone is invited! 3-5pm, bring your well-behaved canines! We’ve extended this invitation to EVERYONE in the Hopalong family including past adopters and donors and, well, everyone. Staff will be there- I promise to try not to talk about how excited I am about Spring Training for the WHOLE time.

Second Invitation: After much deliberation and coordination, we have created a facebook group for volunteers and fosters. This is totally optional but is a way to communicate and build community. We hope that it will be fun and productive. It will be a learning curve (I had to join facebook to do this, so forgive me as I learn!) Please check in with the group guidelines before joining. Because it’s a “secret” group (only members can see it exists), you’ll need to shoot me an email to get invited.

Thanks guys- I look forward to seeing you as a volunteer or attendee on Saturday and on facebook!

Best,

Tuesday Update from Hopalong

Hi All,

I'm so sorry I missed last Wednesday- I don't know if you missed me, but I did miss you! I was out last week teaching at the East Oakland Youth Development Center with some volunteers and Rollie (my dog). It was a really wonderful experience and we are working on forming an ongoing partnership with the center and the youth there. The students had all kinds of questions and insights into the animals in their community and are going to be wonderful ambassadors for humane treatment of other people, animals and the environment. (Sorry, no pictures, we were all too engaged! Hopefully next time!)

I've just posted a link with LOTS of opportunities for helping out all over the place and all the time. Some of them are quite time sensitive, so do take a look at these if you have a moment. 

A quick thank you to Rob who has been jumping in with "yes" pretty much whenever we ask if he's free to drive and Whitney who raised her hands to foster sweet kitties Zoli and Oola.

Apologies for the picture-free email- I'm at home today and am not smart enough to insert images into the home email set-up. Next time!

Best,

Weekly Update: Happy New Year!

Hi Fosters and Volunteers!

I hope you had a safe and happy holiday!

As 2013 wrapped up and 2014 starts, we’re doing the usual stuff- reflecting, planning, launching, brainstorming, you get the picture! We really had a fabulous year of saving animals: a record 106 kittens were adopted out of our site at Woodlands in Marin. This was part of over 220 dogs and 450 cats adopted to forever families in 2013- great work, everyone! Approximately fifty families took homeless dogs into their homes and sixty families fostered cats/kittens! About 200 people volunteered (some of you volunteered AND fostered) and our humane education program reached about 85 kids. I don’t know about you, but I’m SUPER proud of this!

At this point in the year, I’d like to check in with you on your status, especially about fostering: are you still interested in fostering? Interested in fostering for the first time? Even if you think we know you, please go ahead and send me a short email just reminding us, and include things like how often you like to foster, what you like to foster, etc! Don’t be shy- these details help. We’re especially looking for fosters who might be willing to take large breed adult dogs, puppies, dogs who can only handle adult only or single animal foster families, fosters who will take whatever, fosters with some training experience, fosters who are willing to take on longer fosters (cats and dogs!) and, well- if that doesn’t cover it, I don’t know what does! So when you send me that email, if you have any of these special skills or situations, also include that- the information really helps us in our ability to rescue! (And don’t be offended if I don’t write back right away- I’m out of town until Tuesday, but I will get back to you!!)

I don’t have a ton of volunteer updates to share right now but there are a few here on the blog, and as always, if there are specific things you’re interested in, contact me- we’ve got plenty of things going (and coming up!).

Another cool thing to think about for the New Year is checking in to see if your employer offers “volunteer grants.” As part of many corporate responsibility programs, companies will match volunteer hours with financial donations. This is a great reason to track your hours! (Fosters- we’ll calculate your hours for you.) Volunteers, you can track your hours here, and if you need a new log in, just let me know. Also, if you didn’t track your hours last year, don’t worry, I’ve been doing it for you (mostly). Thanks to Clarissa and Carla, we’ve generated a list of a lot of companies that do this- check to see if yours is on there! If it’s not, you might still ask your office to see if they participate in a program like this.

Thanks guys, and I’ll be back next week with more and better

Happy Holidays Hopalong Style!

Howdy fosters and volunteers!

This is it, the last weekly email before Christmas, which will hopefully be a relaxing time for you!

First, please note that the office will be closed December 22-29 (ie all of next week, Sunday-Sunday). Fosters, Sam and Erica will be checking in with you about what to do if you need them while the office is closed. Volunteers: if you have shifts at the office, we will NOT be here. If you have shifts elsewhere (PetCo or PetSmart), please call the pet store ahead of time to see if there are kittens at the store before heading over. We’ll be back on Monday, the 30^th and Tuesday the 31^st and closed again on the 1^st. Please let me know if you have any questions before I turn into a pumpkin (read: Friday!)

Second, we have had a pretty rad December. Santa Paws has been great. Lots of cool visitors and photos- impromptu kid pictures, some crazy shenanigans in Pinole, and just general merriment. Thank you to all the volunteers and in advance to those taking on the mayhem this Saturday and Sunday! Many animals have also been adopted this month, which is unusual for December- and WONDERFUL! Over 30 kittens have already been adopted this month, and it’s only the 18^th! Ramona (the dog) was adopted in Idaho, Peter decided his foster home was actually his forever home, and 3 chihuahua/pug mixes (chugs?!) found homes on Monday.

Mostly, thank you so much for being part of the Hopalong Team: have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year! It’s really a pleasure to work with all of you, and if the animals could talk, I know they would say the same thing.

Best,

It's Still Wednesday- Hopalong Style

Hi All,

Hope everyone is staying warm, including your pets! Admit it, you know you’re turning up the heat and pulling out the pet sweaters- we know we are!

Thank you everyone for your help at past and future Santa Paws events! These are great fun for everyone involved- the one on the 7^th was a great success- *five* dogs were adopted at Bay Street (thanks Jill for spearheading this!) and countless pets and kids (!) sat on Santa’s lap for a donation.

We’ve also had great success with cat adoptions this week- our buddy Rasputin went home and kittens are flying out of here. This is unusual and wonderful for December! This week we also participated in a rescue mission sending tons and tons of little dogs to Idaho- check out the video here.

Couple fundraising opportunities to share: we’ve got some very cool photo cards that are perfect for office fundraising/tree decorating. If your office is into donating, holler at us and we’ll share details. We’ve also got our Amazon wishlist for those who prefer giving to pets in need- personally, I think donating is an awesome way to give. Another cool thing to do is foster- dogs or cats don’t understand holidays, but we know they love warm beds!

Volunteer ops: I don’t have a lot of things to share right now- it’s always a little slow in December. We’ve got quite a few marketing research projects if you’re into that- they can be done at home- and we’re looking for a marketing intern for winter/spring semester, preferably a college student. If you know anyone who might be interested, info here. Share widely- this is a great opportunity for someone who wants to learn nonprofits and practice their skills!

Thanks, everyone- your contributions are greatly appreciated!!

Lauren

Happy Wednesday

Hi Fosters and Volunteers,

Almost last call for the Volunteer and Foster Appreciation Party TOMORROW (Thursday, December 5^th) at the office at 5:30-7:30. RSVP here. All of the staff want to thank you in person for your contributions- big or small (they’re big to us!)- delicious food and drink will be provided, and if you must bring something for dessert. If you don’t RSVP, you’re invited anyway! Kids, partners in crime invited- two-legged only, please- we need to save the food for the humans!

Your hard work is really appreciated- animals are flying out of here (and in here!) almost faster than we can keep track of. I mean, I know that some people are keeping track, but I have lost count of kittens getting adopted, puppies coming in puppies going out, etc- it’s a wonderful feeling! And *you make that possible- thank you! (Who can resist adorable Chihuahua puppies- in clothes!)

Event-wise: The Santa Paws events that we’ve had so far this year have been wonderful- this is a great way for people to support Hopalong in the community- pictures with Santa? So fun! Thank you who have helped out and who have signed up to help out- this is a Merry Time for all! We have two upcoming mobiles this month, and thank you for signing up for those, too. If you haven’t received instructions, don’t worry- they’re coming! Humane education is chugging along- we’re starting a partnership next week with King Middle School in Berkeley and look forward to more schools!

Anyway, all of us here (Karen, Sam, Erica, Juliet, Trisha and I) are looking forward to seeing you tomorrow night and thanking you in person. If you can’t make it, we’ll toast you from afar! THANK YOU!!!