Pet Partnership Program

Across the country, adoptions are limited because too many animals are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fortunately, The Marin Humane Society has implemented a regional solution. In Marin, there is a greater demand for animals than are locally available. The Marin Humane Society has partnered with dozens of overcrowded shelters in Northern California to bring nearly 2,000 animals each year to Marin to find new homes. In Marin, every adoptable dog or cat is placed in a new, loving home.

The Pet Partnership Program focuses on networking, building resources, and transferring adoptable dogs and cats to The Marin Humane Society. We travel throughout Northern California to pick up dogs and cats who would be a good fit for Marin families. The Marin Humane Society is an open-door shelter and has always welcomed out-of town animals, but now we are actively seeking adoption animals.

The Pet Partnership Program works only with rescue groups and shelters that are registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations or county regulated animal facilities. This tight network that we have built consists of nearly 40 shelters and rescue groups. We support those shelters that simply don’t have the resources to care for the animals, and are euthanizing animals who are just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

One of our most active partnerships is with Madera County Animal Control. The sheer volume of highly adoptable animals that enter this shelter makes them a very active part of the Pet Partnership Program. Most of the animals are pre-selected via phone and email by the program coordinator and then rescued by volunteer animal transporters who log many miles each month traveling to Madera and other counties to transfer animals to The Marin Humane Society. Some other outlying areas from which we obtain animals include Grass Valley, Placer County, Calaveras County, Lake County, Modesto and Fresno, as well as Berkeley, Martinez, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Napa, the Peninsula and Santa Clara.

The Pet Partnership Program is lucky to have volunteers who not only have great people skills, but who also have specialized training in animal health, behavior and care.

For more information, please call (415) 506-6286.

The Marin Humane Society needs transitional foster homes to house animals for 5–7 days while shelter staff prepare them for the adoption kennels. These homes will make room at the shelter so that we can bring more hope to unwanted animals. If you have space in your home for dogs, cats, puppies or kittens, please contact the Foster Care Coordinator at (415) 506-6250.