Category Archives: HSNB

Weekend Dog Content

Foster maltipoo Millie doesn’t like to crowd us on the bed, so she goes to the very edge and even stretches upside down, as seen here in these pictures. Even though she’s one of the tiniest dogs I’ve ever fostered (she’s mostly fur), she’s very agile, so she gets in and out of bed and jumps off and on like it’s nothing. I’ve got to take her to the vet soon to check out what’s going on with the growths in her ear. I’m hoping they are benign. We think she’s about five years old.

Meanwhile, the newest foster, cream-colored chihuahua Marshall, is acclimating well. He’s young, healthy, and looking for a permanent home. He’s shy at first, but incredibly affectionate once he trusts a person. He is already neutered and house-trained, and he has yet to bark once, so definitely not yappy! He gets along very well with other dogs, as you’ll see in the videos where he’s very playful.

Fosters Dolly and Marshall (who only recently met each other) start off wrestling in bed, and then Snoopy joins them….until someone yelps. It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt, my parents used to say.

Here are Snoopy and the three foster dogs resting in the backyard of the rental this morning.

Disco Gala for Humane Society of the North Bay

As the Humane Society of the North Bay’s Disco Gala was beginning last night, we took a panorama of the view from the Masonic Temple on top of the hill here in Vallejo.

At the Humane Society of the North Bay’s Disco Gala at the Masonic Template in Vallejo, we had an incredible auctioneer. We raised a lot of money for the homeless cats and dogs in our area! As a volunteer Board member of the HSNB non-profit, I’m very proud of the work we do to try to save as many lives as possible, given the challenges created by circumstances and, in some cases, callous people.

Lots of disco and disco-adjacent music (like Dua Lipa that Tom Bilbo and Shea are dancing to) at the Humane Society of the North Bay’s Disco Gala.

Pictures we took while helping to set up:

Pictures we took once the gala was underway:

The video compilation below is over half an hour long, but it begins with me at the microphone introducing most of the HSNB Board and then the auctioneer.

Pictures from other folks:

September 2025 Dogs

Shea took this picture of me with the pack of FIVE (look carefully) a few days ago. It’s sort of an optical illusion. The three fosters are all there with Bonnie and Snoopy.

Three fosters are Millie (a small white Maltese-Poodle mix), Marshall (a cream-colored Chihuahua), and Dolly (a black Chihuahua with a white chest). The two guest dogs are Gracie and Lucy, whom I dog-sat again. Of course, our dogs are Bonnie and Snoopy.

August 2025 Dogs

We took in another very shy chihuahua (cream colored) named Marshall, who was not coping well with being in the shelter. He’s been painfully shy like Dolly was, but I don’t mind that he’s enjoying the freedom of the backyard a lot while we patiently get to know him. The dogs all get along with each other, and he’s going to hopefully trust Shea and me more to be affectionate soon, but at least for now, he’s curious and comfortable sleeping in doggie beds and enjoying the wonderful weather outside as much as he wants to. We had two pool days in Vallejo with the dearest of friends, catching up. This was last night, resting in the backyard of the rental (the house under renovation is getting closer and closer) with the five dogs, including the three fosters.

While we were at Lazybear we had a housesitter/dogsitter who took care of our fosters and our former foster who is now adopted, Perry!

Glen Cove Rental Area Walk

We did another neighborhood walk with Bonnie, Snoopy and the fosters Millie and Dolly.

The rental that we’re still stuck in while the house is being renovated is in another part of the Glen Cove neighborhood of Vallejo. We enjoy some of the walks in the area, although the foxtails this time of year are still a big worry, as well as burrs, which seem to be ubiquitous.

Vondra Emergency Groom

Before pictures:

The “after pictures” come after we had a LOOONG night. We’re calling her Vondra for now. She’s a young adult and very sweet little Shih Tzu-type dog. We started grooming her without my understanding the seriousness of her situation. For the first time with an emergency comfort groom, I got too close to the skin and injured her, so we took her to the vet to get a couple of sutures on her front knee. I was guilt-ridden even though she barely seemed to notice it. I was able to get around her genitals and most of her body, but when she was under anesthesia, the veterinarians continued to try to get this poor baby out of her remaining prison of her own hair (see before pictures). They then admitted that they themselves cut her a few times and even razor-burned her skin trying to get her to a comfortable state, which made me realize that this was beyond our control. I’m not kidding when I say there were living plants embedded in her extreme fur mats, which were on almost every inch of her body. She is the most neglected animal I’ve ever groomed. She had to be in pain. She is much more comfortable now. I know she will eventually be beautiful, but her health comes first. Shea and I will foster her until she gets what she needs medically and gets adopted.

Twinsies!

When you see Dolly on the right, you can see why she reminded me of a certain Snoopy, who survived my house fire. When I saw her a few times at the shelter, it was a no-brainer when I was asked if I would consider taking her home for some rehabilitation as a foster dog. She’s been so wonderful and has flourished despite being surrendered to the Humane Society of the North Bay.

Grooming Yogi from the Animal Shelter

These are the “Before Groom” pictures of Yogi, a recent surrender at Humane Society of the North Bay, who needs a permanent home. He was very patient with me as I trimmed his long hair with Shea’s assistance. He was a little anxious and deserved a better reception than the two fosters gave him, but he is taller than all the other dogs in the house, so it probably helped him not be intimidated as much as he otherwise would have been. When I first met him in the shelter, he kind of resembled a (cute) sloth in his crate.

Here are pictures of Yogi after he got groomed. I think he really loves his summer cut, which I suspected I would not get done in one day, but I gave him several breaks so that he could overcome his anxiety.