Being careful not to show the kids, we took fosters Millie and Lana with us to Saint Dominic Catholic School in Benicia for the Saint Francis of Assisi Blessing of the Animals. Linda and I went last year with our dear friend Carlene and her Mister Wiggles. They were missed, but Millie and Lana were good ambassadors for the Humane Society of the North Bay. We’re very grateful for the school’s continued support of our local shelter here in Vallejo.
This is a very special photograph from today’s Vallejo Fest, where Shea and I tabled for a few hours on behalf of the Humane Society of the North Bay. This fireman, who was helping us sell a fundraising 2026 calendar with Vallejo Firefighters and HSNB dogs, posed with Snoopy and me. He saved Snoopy (foster dog Peaches was also brought out to me, but it might have been from another fireman) when, sadly, five of my dogs died that horrible day. He understood that I have very foggy memories of that day, which was the worst day of my life, but he was so kind to Snoopy and me today. The story is mentioned in the November 2026 picture on the calendar that they posed for.
In previous years it was called Vallejo Waterfront Weekend, but this year it’s one day.
This media for the event is also special because it has our foster Marshall on the cover!
Generally the second day (Sundays) in years past was very slow. It’s a fundraiser for many non-profits here in Vallejo.
From others:
Visiting cats and kittens at the new Catio at Humane Society of the North Bay today. Apply to foster and adopt at HSNB!
Today I got to wander around the newly completed Catio myself. I would love it if the Humane Society of the North Bay regularly had a Cat Cafe set up here. We’ll look into that possibility, as I know it was discussed in the past. We will be adding more seating and encourage people to come visit this gorgeous structure that makes life at HSNB much more exciting for the homeless cats waiting to be adopted. The cats and kittens can be observed from the outside as well. There were a lot of friendly, beautiful cats there today.
A lovely couple in nearby Crockett brought their dogs over to meet our beautiful foster dog Dolly, who has been with us for several months. Dolly was extremely attached to me, so I warned them that she would be very shy and suspicious of them, but they can take her on a trial basis and will see that she’ll be very happy to be with them in due course. I’m so proud of Dolly and love her. She looks so much like my Snoopy and has some similar characteristics.
As a foster dad to dogs, it feels good to physically hand a young, healthy dog like her over to a family that will take such good care of her forever. It is very rewarding to make a space in my life so someday I can help another dog who doesn’t fare well in the shelter environment with at least a temporary place to go, especially if that dog has special needs or is senior, for example. Tomorrow is National Black Dog Day! Animals like Dolly are statistically passed over more often because of their black coats, believe it or not. People are really missing out!
While I work from home, I’ve got my canine entourage. Foster Dolly and foster Marshall playing at the top of the stairs outside the temporary office I have in the rental.
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.
Visiting Wellfleet:
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.
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:
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!
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.
Former adopters from HSNB took Vondra in as a foster-to-adopt candidate, so we wish her the best of luck. She had a rough start, but is completely healed from the stitches and her hair is growing back in.
