Dogs and Cats from Shelters and Get Them Into One of Our Foster Homes Within an Average of 24 Hours
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Welcome to HOPALONG ANIMAL RESCUE! We want to celebrate our hard work and share the experience of animal rescue with you! A day in the life of animal rescue is never boring, so we’ve decided to open our doors and give you a peek behind the scenes. Core Programs ADOPTION VOLUNTEER FOSTER PET SURVIVOR EMERGENCY COMMUNITY SPAY/ RELIEF NEUTER We foster hope Hopalong Animal Rescue is the LARGEST, ALL-FOSTER ANIMAL RESCUE GROUP IN THE BAY AREA with 620 FOSTER FAMILIES, and 580 VOLUNTEERS! Founded by Helen Hill 27 years ago, Hopalong got its name from its very first animal rescued from the Oakland Animal Shelter, a three-legged cat named “Hopalong.” With offices in Oakland and Mill Valley California, we have rescued over36,000 shelter animals from euthanasia lists to date. Hopalong’s mission is to RESCUE, REHABILITATE AND REHOME neglected and homeless animals from Northern California shelters and beyond. 1 What makes Hopalong unique? Hopalong stands apart because it is the only animal rescue group of its size in the Bay Area that is 100% foster-based. Our foster families are located throughout the East Bay, San Francisco and Marin County, and they host our rescue animals in homes (rather than kennels) while getting ready for adoption. During this time, we learn a great deal of unique information on EVERY dog and cat’s personality that allows us to carefully match our animals with adoptive homes. This leads to an EXCEPTIONALLY LOW RETURN RATE OF LESS THAN 2% post adoption. 2 Medical care is our specialty Our robust foster program means that we are able to rescue many more animals with “special needs.” These are animals who are sick, injured or senior, and often have the highest chances of being abandoned or euthanized. We make FULL medical care an integral part of our program BEFORE they get adopted out. We do this by contracting with a NETWORK OF SKILLED VETERINARY PRACTICES throughout the Bay Area who graciously partner with us, discount their medical services, and enable us to rescue so many animals in need. We are indebted to these vets and their staff. Our foster homes then provide ideal places for the animals to heal and recover while receiving supportive care. 3 © Fix our Ferals The foster experience We are able to pull rescue dogs and cats from shelters and get them into one of our foster homes within an average of 24 hours. One of the best parts of our job is witnessing the complete metamorphosis our rescue animals go through in their foster homes. The average foster stay in a home is approximately three weeks, and we equip each family with food, bedding, toys etc., so there is never any cost to host a dog or cat. Pet Food Express generously donates these supplies which covers over 1600 animals a year. After the first three days in a home, we often joke that our rescues start to relax and “unpack their baggage.” The joy of this is that once an animal feels comfortable and secure, their true personality comes out, and we can get an excellent snapshot of who they really are. 4 The final step — getting adopted! We rescue and adopt out over 1600 animals a year! Once our dogs and cats have completed their time in foster care, they are ready to find their forever homes! All of our animals are listed on our website on our adoption pages, as well as being posted on Petfinder and Adopt a Pet. Our cats and kittens go to a variety of adoption condos in various pet stores throughout the Bay Area who have generously donated their space and staff to care for them. Our dogs attend multiple, mobile adoption events every weekend, and also have ‘meet and greets’ scheduled in our offices. We screen our adopters rigorously, and take our animals back at any point during their lifetime. 5 Hopalong’s emergency relief response program As natural disasters have been on the rise during their homes, and treat wounds and burns down the past few years, HOPALONG ANIMAL in the Bay Area for animals who would later be RESCUE HAS EMERGED AS A LEADER returned home. Note: While this article is going to IN EMERGENCY RESPONSE. Due to the print, the fires are still ongoing, so final numbers are size of our foster program, our vast network not available. Response time is estimated to be 8 weeks, of volunteers and our extended veterinary and go into 2019. partnerships, WE ARE ABLE TO RESPOND ON A LARGE SCALE IMMEDIATELY. Hopalong’s response during the CARR & LAKE COUNTY FIRES in 2018 enabled During California’s most devastating fire to date, the rescue of 81 animals into our foster system, the PARADISE FIRE in 2018, we were and an additional 39 who received urgent able to launch an overnight, three-phase response medical treatment locally around the fire zones. by helping to evacuate adoptable animals from This was 8 times the average of most animal Butte County shelters to make room for the rescue groups, and again, due to the immediate victims, take in pets from people who had lost availability of our foster network. 6 © John Edelson/Associated Press When the SANTA ROSA FIRES struck in When ONE OF CALIFORNIA’S 2017, we instantly responded and helped evacuate WORST ANIMAL HOARDING animals from the Sonoma Animal Shelter while CASES made headlines in Stockton, CA in 2017, fires burned nearby. In addition, we took in over the Stockton Animal Shelter called Hopalong 70 animals from several of the other fire zones. Animal Rescue, and we instantly took in 82 neglected dogs and puppies at once. When HURRICANE IRMA hit, 52 of Within 24 hours, they were all in foster homes. our foster families stepped forward in less than These puppies had to learn how to be dogs 24 hours to offer their homes when shelter through the introduction of the outside (grass,) animals from Florida were flown in. We had toys, human affection, etc. the pleasure of unloading many of the animals with the help of the Golden State Warriors! 7 We Need Your Support! YOU CAN RETURN IN THE YOUR ATTACHED GIFT or go online to ENVELOPE WWW and visit our donate page..HOPALONG , .ORG BEFORE Every dollar you give allows us to rescue, Help us Save rehabilitate and rehome countless more shelter animals. By making a gift today, you guarantee we More Lives can save the lives of more deserving cats and dogs — and provide the critical care that they need! There are many ways to give as well! Workplace giving Stock gifts Legacy & planned giving Corporate or foundation partnerships Honor & Memorial gifts Naming opportunities Start a Facebook fundraiser! Thank you so very much for your support, Juliet Boyd Executive Director 8 AFTER Your Support is Critical Every Dollar Counts Please Give Today! 9 Critical support also comes The success of our foster program has many key elements, and one of the most endearing and profound forms of support for a rescue dog or cat right out of a shelter can come from the resident pet in the foster home. Witnessing and experiencing stable and nurturing behavior from another animal can instantly soothe and calm a dog or cat who feels lost, is scared during transition, or is sick. Nulo Nulo is a one year old pit bull adopted from Hopalong a year ago to one of our favorite foster families. Selfishly, we feared losing them as a foster home after adoption, but not only did they foster again, the number of dogs they hosted increased! This can largely be attributed to Nulo’s love of puppies and other dogs, and his fondness for becoming a full-time nanny to all of the new arrivals. He gently takes care of each and every one, and expertly calms the most fragile of nerves. 10 from animals, not just humans Max Max is a Hopalong cat adopted by one of our admired board members years ago. We always marveled at the volume of kittens this gentleman was able to foster each year, and then we found out his secret weapon. He too had a hidden, nurturing nanny who threw a welcome party for the new kitten arrivals on a regular basis, and welcomed them into the fold. We can’t tell you what a difference this makes, and we love seeing the complete change in personality they have gone through when they return to us a month later, now ready for adoption. 11 Happy Endings 12 When Skipper's mom passed away, he immediately came to Hopalong as part of our PSP program. Money had been set aside for his future medical care, and at 12 years old, he was adopted into this phenomenal family who adored him until his passing several years later. Hopalong's very unique, Pet Survivor Program Many people worry about what will happen to huge success. We are one of the few organizations their pet after they are gone. What some don’t in the U.S. that has a program like this, and realize is that many animals wind up in shelters animals even come to us from out of state. when their owners or parents have passed away. These pets tend to do very poorly after living If you would like more information on our Pet in a home their entire lives, and often don’t make Survivor Program, visit this page of our website: it in the shelter environment. Hopalong created a www.hopalong.org/pet-survivor-program-psp comprehensive program 19 years ago after seeing — or please email: [email protected].