Spring 2026 – Special Update

Hi Friend!

Last summer, I started volunteering for my local SPCA. I had adopted two wonderful dogs from them (RIP Macy and Dharma), and I wanted to give back in any way I could. Knowing myself and the likelihood of bringing a new family member home, I decided not to work with the animals directly but to volunteer in the low-cost vaccine clinic. I greet families and check them in for their appointments, and often answer their questions. Not a single visiting patient has failed to delight me.

Greeting the pet has its obvious advantages, but my favorite part is seeing the bond between the pet and their family. Every small action suggests a complex relationship, one that’s both familiar to me as a fellow pet owner and uniquely their own. I’m grateful that I can help in this small way so that families can access care for their pets and enjoy more years together. And with so much turmoil lately, so much of our daily lives out of our control, I’m especially grateful that I can still make a difference here in my community.

If you’ve been thinking about volunteering in your community, now is the time…but you’re already making a big difference as a FurEver Friend!

My colleague Claire is the mother of two mischievous tortoiseshell cats, Princess and Lini. If you’ve ever received a piece of mail from RedRover with cat hairs stuck to the tape, it was the tortie girls. We call that glitter.

Are you still filling out your calendar for spring? Then, do I have some opportunities for you!

APRIL

RedRover is sponsoring the 2026 Humane Education Conference, hosted by the Association of Professional Humane Educators (APHE), in Oakland this month. RedRover Program Manager, Minhhan Takemoto, is a member of the APHE Board of Directors and has presented at past APHE conferences on inclusive kindness in humane education.

The RedRover Readers program and Kind News™ magazine are the perfect place to start if you’re interested in humane education and how to bring it to your community. You can take the training for FREE today and consider sponsoring a classroom with an annual subscription to Kind News.

Don’t Forget the Pets, our collaborative project with Greater Good Charities, is partnering with Seattle’s One Health Clinic to discuss the human-animal bond in homeless health services. The One Health Clinic integrates veterinary and human primary care to benefit both members of the family, and in this 1-hour webinar, they’ll examine the success of integrated human and veterinary care on healthcare, homeless services, and housing. Register for the April 30 presentation, One Health, Two Patients: The Human-Animal Bond in Homeless Health Services, today.

P.S. In case you missed last month’s Protecting All Victims: How the Law Addresses Animal Abuse, Family Safety and Professional Reporting, you can watch a recording here.

MAY

Free RedRover stickers for FurEver Friends, just because.

What’s special about the first Thursday in May? It’s Big Day of Giving!

Starting April 23 through May 7, our goal is to raise $30,000 to help animals and the people who love them on this special day for our hometown of Sacramento, California. The first $5,000 in generous gifts on May 7 will be matched for double the impact! Watch for an email soon 👀

Your recurring support makes you a RedRover member, with voting rights and a standing invitation to the annual meeting. I’m pleased to invite you to the annual meeting on Saturday, May 16, at 10 a.m. PT, where we’ll cover 2025 successes, a member Q&A session, and an audit financial presentation by Gilbert Associates. Register today!

If you’re curious or passionate about the legal issues that affect the human-animal bond, then the team at Don’t Forget the Pets has another great guest presentation for you. Presented by the California Civil Rights Department, Fair Housing and Assistance Animals will address the laws that protect individuals with disabilities and their assistance animals, reviewing key distinctions between emotional support animals and service animals and covering topics like lease termination, reasonable accommodation requests, and breed restrictions. Join us on May 21 at 11 a.m. PT.

JUNE

Pet Appreciation Week is June 7-13. It’s unclear if the pets are being appreciated or doing the appreciating. Just don’t be hurt if they don’t reciprocate your plans.

FurEver Friends Fun Poll

How could someone consider their pet their family and not get them a holiday gift?? I was surprised by some of the “no’s,” but as someone who has to pick up battered and scattered toys every day, I can see the appeal of minimalism. And no shame to those of us who gave their pet more than one gift this holiday season. You can’t spoil someone who deserves the world.

I’m switching things up and asking an open-ended question this time, and I look forward to sharing your answers in the next bulletin. Until then, nothing is stopping you from just asking your pet these questions. You don’t expect an answer, do you?