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Events & Clinics
Recently, Barbara Bloxham’s cute, 15-year-old dog, Vegas, had much-needed dental surgery in C.A.R.E.4Paws’ mobile clinic, funded by a grant from Grey Muzzle Organization.
Says Barbara: “It was no surprise I brought her home with no teeth. They were in terrible condition. My fear that I might lose her has been replaced with the joy of seeing her so happy, acting like a puppy again. Thank you for taking care of her.”
We thank Santa Barbara Police Department and City Animal Control for the $2,000 grant to sponsor spays/neuters of city dogs and cats in C.A.R.E.4Paws’ mobile clinic. Over the last seven years, our wonderful partnership has helped alter several hundred pets, keeping animals healthy and out of shelters. We love the support!
Thank you, Tania, for sharing your Happy Tail with us:
“I came across C.A.R.E.4Paws on Facebook. Perfect timing. My dear cat, Simba, needed a few vaccines and to be microchipped. I had just started a job after being jobless for 14 months. I was able to get my cat’s needs met for very little pay. I am thankful for that.”
Donna shared her words of appreciation with us: “I want to express my gratitude to C.A.R.E.4Paws for providing my dog Bogie with exceptional and affordable veterinarian care.
I am a senior who struggles financially each month to live solely on my social security. Bogie, who is my beloved dog, is also a senior who desperately needed help with his extreme non-stop itchiness, which included constant rubbing of his ears, and a badly needed dental cleaning.
My veterinarian at the time quoted me thousands of dollars for the labs, x-rays, medicine, and services to determine the cause of Bogie’s itchiness and for the dental cleaning. I simply could not afford the cost and was heartsick over Bogie’s misery.
Then I heard about C.A.R.E.4Paws Mobile Clinic that travels to different sites in Santa Barbara County and offers vet services to the low-income at discounted fees. I made an appointment and was touched by the kindness I received from the staff. I felt they took extra care to not make me feel badly about my financial problems and I left with my dignity.
Bogie is a changed dog! The treatment he received took care of all of his problems! I truly am at peace knowing Bogie is feeling so much better and that I now have access to good veterinarian care at a cost that I can afford.
Thank you to everyone at C.A.R.E.4Paws for your much-needed service to our community. Thank you for helping my Bogie.”
C.A.R.E.4Paws is the only animal welfare organization on the Central Coast that works directly in the community to provide critical wellness services to the pet families that need it the most.
By
Q: What types of animals does your business cater to?
A: Dogs and cats.
Q: Can you describe the services or products your business offers?
A: Our largest program is our Mobile Community Medicine & Spay/Neuter Outreach, which provides critical pet wellness services, including free and low-cost spays/neuters, veterinary care and vaccine clinics, in our two 26-foot mobile veterinary units, the only ones of their kind on California’s Central Coast.
C.A.R.E.4Paws’ other service components include our Companion Pet Assistance program, which provides free pet food and supplies to pet owners in need at every mobile clinic event and at several Pet Resource Centers countywide; and Safe Haven, a program that assists domestic violence survivors with temporary shelter for their companion animals.
We launched Safe Haven in 2020 in partnership with DomesticViolence Solutions for Santa Barbara County as we realized that so many domestic violence survivors either stay in an abusive relationship because of a beloved family pet, or they are forced to leave their pets behind, which leads to more suffering for the animals. Our program allows survivors to seek safety from abuse without having to fear for the well-being of their four-legged family members.
We also provide humane education through Paws Up For Pets, teaching middle-school aged children to be accountable for their pets and compassionate towards animals and all living beings.
Q: What makes your organization unique?
A: C.A.R.E.4Paws is the only animal welfare organization on the Central Coast that works directly in the community to provide critical wellness services to the pet families that need it the most.
Since our founding in 2009, we have concentrated our efforts on Santa Barbara County’s most resource-deprived neighborhoods, serving low-income, senior, disabled and unhoused community members. In 2022, we have broadened our reach into San Luis Obispo (SLO) County through a program called Snip & Chip SLO.
Every year, C.A.R.E.4Paws evolves to make sure we’re meeting the community’s needs. For example, when the pandemic started, we began distributing several tons of pet food weekly, compared to two tons distributed (total) in a typical pre-pandemic year. Between March 2020 and March 2022, we provided more than 850,000 pounds of free pet food to prevent suffering and pet homelessness.
We have also increased the number of mobile clinic services provided annually by 50%, assisting more than 10,000 dogs and cats per year with vaccines, spays/neuters and medical care. Overall, we have tripled the number of pet families we help annually to ensure that animals stay healthy and with the people who love them.
C.A.R.E.4Paws is also unique in that we collaborate with dozens of other agencies and organizations to make sure we can help as many pet families in need as possible. Apart from our partnership with Animal Services in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties as well as all local animal shelters and rescue groups, we work closely with human welfare agencies, pet services providers and other businesses.
Q: What training, education and experience do you and your staff have? Do you hold any professional certifications?
A: We have a highly trained veterinary team that runs our Mobile Community Medicine & Spay/Neuter Outreach operations, including a veterinarian who’s worked in the field for more than 40 years. Having operated C.A.R.E.4Paws for 13 years, myself and my team have all gained tremendous experience in the animal welfare industry and when it comes to working with pet families in need.
Q: What is your level of expertise regarding pet health and behavior?
A: Our team has worked in the community since 2009 to help thousands of animals with a variety of services, including vaccine clinics, spaying and neutering, medical care, grooming (for dogs of the unsheltered) and behavioral training.
Q: How do you manage behavioral problems?
A: As part of our Companion Pet Assistance program, as funds allow, we offer free dog behavioral training for low-income pet families to make sure dogs don’t end up in a shelter due to behavioral issues that the owners cannot manage on their own.
Q: Are you currently accepting new clients?
A: We are always here for pet families in need. However, C.A.R.E.4Paws is not a business or a regular veterinary clinic, so we’re not designed to be someone’s permanent veterinarian, for example. Our goal is to support pet owners going through a tough time.
Q: Can you name a few common reasons animals end up in shelters?
A: Many pets end up homeless due to lack of resources to provide proper pet care, because of behavioral issues that are hard to manage, or due to pet overpopulation, issues that C.A.R.E.4Paws’ address with our free and low-cost services. Lack of pet-friendly housing is another big problem that contribute to animals ending up in shelters.
Sometimes pet owners need help temporarily as they are going through a transition, whether it’s hospitalization, a move or rehab, for example. C.A.R.E.4Paws tries to assist whenever possible, but we need more funding and foster families to be able to help on a greater scale. It is too large of an issue for one organization to tackle, especially as we don’t have a space to house animals. Our community as a whole needs to work together to come up with solutions that keep more pets out of shelters and with the people who love them.
Q: How do you help make your client feel at ease leaving their pet in your care?
A: We have a very kind and compassionate staff and volunteer team, and that goes a long way when it comes to making clients feel comfortable leaving their pets with us. It’s also important to let people know what to expect through the process and from the services they receive.
Q: Are you a nonprofit? Do you accept donations?
A: C.A.R.E.4Paws is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and we do accept donations.
Q: How do you keep the public informed about your business or service(s)?
A: We have an informative website and very active Facebook and Instagram pages. We also partner with dozens of other agencies and local business that help spread the word to those in need.
Q: What is the typical cost of your service(s) or product(s)? Do you offer any payment plans or discounts?
A: Most of our services are offered for free or at low-cost for low-income pet families.
Q: What are your hours of operation?
A: We operate our mobile units four, five or more times per week throughout Santa Barbara County and about twice a month in San Luis Obispo County, for now.
Q: What is one fun fact about your business?
A: C.A.R.E.4Paws is not a shelter or rescue group. We work to reduce pet overpopulation and keep pets out of shelters.
Q: Is there anything you would like to tell our readers that was not mentioned above?
A: In the spirit of preventing suffering and keeping pet families together, we’re inviting the animal-loving community to join C.A.R.E.4Paws, Domestic Violence Solutions and Elings Park for our inaugural Walk Against Abuse on Sunday, September 18.
The event takes place at Elings Park from 11am to 2pm and supports C.A.R.E.4Paws’ Safe Haven program, which provides temporary foster care or boarding for pets of domestic violence survivors. Learn more about and sign up for the walk, with or without a dog!
Click here to learn more about C.A.R.E.4Paws’ Walk Against Abuse.
In 2021, our Mobile Community Medicine & Spay/Neuter Outreach team helped more than 10,000 dogs and cats with critical services. Operating at least one of our mobile clinics four or five times per week, we spayed or neutered 2,025 pets and provided veterinary assistance to 1,749 animals. We also helped as many as 14,641 dogs and cats with vaccinations, microchips, flea medication, dewormer and nail trims at low cost during our walk-in Pet Wellness Clinics.
Overall, our team performed more than 18,000 clinic procedures in 2021, an increase by 50 percent from before the pandemic. This year, we’re on track to perform even more procedures during a total of 225-230 mobile clinic days. This includes regular events in San Luis Obispo County, where we began operating in February.
“I’m very grateful to C.A.R.E.4Paws for the help my dog Zoe and I have received with pet food and grooming at Alameda Park for two years now. It’s a wonderful program and I’ve been treated beyond friendly.”
We love this sweet Happy Tail from Queenie Longley and Little Girl:
“What a wonderful organization and incredible group of people who are involved in helping those of us who are financially challenged at this time. Thank you to everyone at C.A.R.E.4Paws. You are all a blessing for our furry-pawed loves.”
Santa Barbara Independent: Society Matters By
Thu Jun 02, 2022 7:27am
On May 22, C.A.R.E.4Paws hosted its Happy Tails fundraiser at the Music Academy of the West, netting about $120,000 for its critically important work, including providing free and low-cost veterinary care and free pet food and supplies to those in need. About 120 supporters gathered on the terrace of the Marilyn Horne Main House for a lovely reception and then were seated inside for the program. Others opted to watch the live-streamed program from home.
Executive Director Isabelle Gullo welcomed guests and shared how the pandemic significantly increased the demand for its assistance, such that it now serves more than 20,000 families per year, compared to about 7,000 pre-pandemic. She explained how its Mobile Pet Wellness Clinic ensures that neither cost nor transportation are barriers to pets getting spayed/neutered or receiving medical care. Last year, the mobile clinic served more than 10,000 dogs and cats, including performing 2,000+ spay/neuter surgeries.
The mobile clinic has weekly sessions in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Lompoc and, more recently, in Arroyo Grande too. While the medical care the clinic offers is not full service because of its mobile nature, it provides quite a range of care, including vaccinations, treating wounds and infections, doing dental cleanings and extractions, and performing a range of surgeries. When the pet’s needs are beyond its capacity, it makes a referral to a partner vet clinic and provides a financial contribution toward the care.
The pandemic also led to a spike in demand for C.A.R.E.4Paws’ program providing free pet food — in the first two years it distributed about four tons each week, mostly through its mobile clinic and community events. Now demand has eased, but it is still distributing one to two tons per week through its Pet Resource Centers, located throughout the county, and through the other channels. Gullo hopes the lower level of demand continues because the pet food program diverts funds from its mobile clinic and other services, for which demand is still high.
.C..A.R.E.4Paws continues its weekly outreach to unhoused community members in Alameda Park, where it provides pet food and supplies. Once a month, it collaborates with A’s Mobile Grooming to provide baths and nail trims for dogs, typically 6 to 12 each time, for which owners express much gratitude. A similar collaboration with Doggie Parlour provides the same services in Santa Maria each month.
Through its Safe Haven Domestic Violence Assistance Program, C.A.R.E.4Paws arranges for immediate, anonymous foster care for pets of domestic violence victims. Gullo explained how when survivors escape, they are often forced to leave pets behind, which leads to more suffering for the pets. Referrals to the program come from Domestic Violence Solutions and government agencies. Since its launch in 2020, the program has helped 30 domestic violence survivors, in some cases for more than a year because of the difficulties survivors face, including finding pet-friendly housing. Foster families are being sought for this program.
High school freshman Ava Vasquez was presented with a Pet Hero Award for her initiative organizing a pet food drive at Vieja Valley Elementary School, which led to 400+ pounds of pet food being donated. Vasquez previously had volunteered at C.A.R.E.4Paws’ mobile clinic handing out food, where she saw how appreciative the recipient families were. She shared how she enjoyed working with C.A.R.E.4Paws, can’t wait to do more, and hopes that others will be inspired to help out.
Community Programs Coordinator Wendy Domanski shared her excitement for the Youth Pet Portraits program, in which youth at the United Boys and Girls Clubs’ Lompoc Club make pet portraits, based on a photo, for a donation. According to Domanski, the program inspires creativity in kids and gives them joy and pride, while raising funds for C.A.R.E.4Paws and honoring a pet. A fun video showed the great excitement and talent of these youth artists.
For more info, go to care4paws.org.