Source: Santa Barbara County Fire Department

Starting February 3, nonprofit organization C.A.R.E.4Paws, pet emergency hospital Advanced Veterinary Specialists (AVS) and dog trainer Brian Glen will host a dozen workshops in pet emergency training for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, covering 16 fire stations from Santa Barbara to Santa Maria. The free workshops, offered through C.A.R.E.4Paws’ recently launched Pet Emergency Training (P.E.T.) for First Responders program, will teach County firefighters how to safely care for and treat pets in emergency situations, covering pet first-aid and animal behavior.

According to American Animal Hospital Association, one out of four animals would survive a life-threatening injury if just one first-aid technique was applied before the pet reaches a veterinary hospital. First responders, who are usually the first to arrive on the scene of a fire, accident or other emergency, are generally not trained to provide medical treatment to pets. This is why C.A.R.E.4Paws introduced the P.E.T. program with its partners in November 2019, starting off with five workshops for Santa Barbara City and Montecito Fire Departments.

“We always want to do everything possible for all pets to give them the most favorable outcome,” says Dr. Andrea Wells, owner of AVS and an internal medicine specialist. “Immediate care and stabilization can be key to a successful recovery from injury. We are honored to work with our first responders to provide care for pets in need of urgent attention.”

During each two-hour workshop, Dr. Wells and her AVS team provide at least an hour of hands-on medical training, covering anything from CPR, wound treatment and handling of broken limbs to how to provide fluids and other critical care to an overheated animal. First responders get to practice the different techniques working with dogs and cats owned by AVS staff members.

Because most cats and dogs act differently when injured or in distress, the workshops also focus on animal behavior and techniques for how to safely capture, handle and restrain pets, whether to ensure the animals receive medical treatment or to remove them from a dangerous situation.

During the second half of a workshop, dog trainer Brian Glen talks about dog psychology and shares tools for how to deal with protective or aggressive dogs, who can cause harm to a first responder and prevent the pet owner from receiving critical care in a timely way.

“The goal is to prepare our first responders as much as possible for the various scenarios they encounter that involve pets,” says C.A.R.E.4Paws’ Executive Director Isabelle Gullo, who notes that pet first-aid kits are in the works to be carried aboard fire engines and other emergency vehicles. “We also want to share information about the many services C.A.R.E.4Paws offers for low-income, senior, and homeless community members so that first responders can share these resources with the pet owners they meet in the field.”

These services include assistance with veterinary care, vaccinations and spays/neuters in C.A.R.E.4Paws’ mobile clinic, help with pet food, information about animal abuse, and access to a brand-new program that assists victims of domestic violence and their pets.

The first of the 12 upcoming workshops with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department will take place on Monday, February 3, at the department’s Station 26 in Orcutt (1600 Tiffany Park Court) from 10am to noon.

“The Santa Barbara County Fire Department is excited to engage in these not only pertinent, but very beneficial skills for our firefighters,” says Public Information Officer Captain Daniel Bertucelli. “We, as first responders, encounter animals on a regular basis and knowing how to approach, calm and treat an animal in distress to ensure a positive outcome is important for all involved.”

For more information about Pet Emergency Training (P.E.T.) for First Responders, visit care4paws.org/pet or contact C.A.R.E.4Paws at info@care4paws.org or (805) 968-2273.

Original Article:

https://www.edhat.com/news/firefighters-learn-how-to-care-for-pets-during-emergencies

Source: Santa Barbara County Animal Services

This new year, animal and human welfare agencies in northern Santa Barbara County are coming together with a resolution that no pet—or pet owner—should have to go hungry or without critical care. C.A.R.E.4Paws, in partnership with Santa Barbara County Animal Services, Good Samaritan Shelter and Northern Santa Barbara County United Way’s Home For Good program, is increasing services available to community members in need by introducing more Pet Resource Centers. These are locations where pet owners can pick up dog and cat food and other supplies, sign up for veterinary care in C.A.R.E.4Paws’ mobile clinic and, at all social welfare facilities, access wellness services for themselves.

“When you lend a hand to community members in need and their companion animals, you prevent suffering far beyond an empty stomach,” says Isabelle Gullo, C.A.R.E.4Paws’ Cofounder and Executive Director. “Many owners decide to relinquish their pets to a shelter if they cannot provide food or critical wellness services,” Gullo explains. “This is not only heartbreaking for the person and pet, but our shelters become more crowded and, sadly, not every animal finds a new home. Through collaborations with other agencies, we can offer a fairly easy solution that benefits the whole community.”

Pet Resource Centers, which are part of C.A.R.E.4Paws’ Companion Pet Assistance program, now exist at a three locations in northern Santa Barbara County, including Santa Barbara County Animal Services’ Santa Maria Animal Center and Good Samaritan Shelters in Santa Maria and Lompoc (also referred to as Bridge House), which are both United Way Home For Good “Entry Points.” Families and individuals can also find help at Entry Points further south, such as People Helping People in Santa Ynez, PATH Santa Barbara, the Salvation Army and Isla Vista Community Service District. This is in addition to the centers that C.A.R.E.4Paws has maintained for several years at Santa Barbara’s Rescue Mission, Unity Shoppe and Noah’s Anchorage. (Find a complete list of Pet Resource Centers at care4paws.org/petassistance.)

Operating hand in hand with these centers, C.A.R.E.4Paws’ Mobile Pet Meals team delivers pet food directly to homes countywide, while its mobile veterinary clinic also carries pet food to hand out during its Pet Wellness Clinics, hosted three days per week from Santa Maria to Santa Barbara (care4paws.org/clinics).

“We’re incredibly grateful to partner with C.A.R.E.4Paws and be a resource for pet owners in need,” says Tara Diller, Director of Santa Barbara County Animal Services. “Keeping people and their pets together is of utmost importance to us and sometimes all it takes is a bit of support during a financial hardship.” No one should ever have to choose between feeding their pets and paying a bill, adds Diller, who says Animal Services is excited to designate its Santa Maria shelter as a Pet Resource Center location and look forward to opening more locations in the future.

The Pet Resource Centers also bridge the gap for those who may not seek out services for themselves, but they will take advantage of programs that help their four-legged companions, says Emily Allen, Director of United Way’s Home For Good. “Often people consider pets family members. They will put their animal’s needs over their own. By engaging individuals around their concern for their pet, the homelessness emergency response system can leverage the human-animal bond to provide life-saving services to people and their pets,” says Allen, who adds, “To serve people experiencing homelessness and their animals, we know we must build relationships with animal welfare organizations. We’re thrilled to work with C.A.R.E.4Paws across Santa Barbara County!”

Support for C.A.R.E.4Paws’ Pet Resource Centers and Companion Pet Assistance comes from generous individuals, local business partners and other animal nonprofits. For more information about C.A.R.E.4Paws and to support its Companion Pet Assistance program, visit care4paws.org or contact info@care4paws.org or (805) 968-2273. The organization is actively looking for pet food and pet supplies to ensure it can meet the growing demand.

Original Article:

https://www.edhat.com/news/animal-services-offers-more-pet-resource-centers

Source: C.A.R.E.4Paws

This week, nonprofit organization C.A.R.E.4Paws, care4paws.org, launches a countywide Pet Food & Donation Drive to assist low-income, senior, disabled and homeless community members and their animals. 

C.A.R.E.4Paws is partnering with several businesses including Zoom, FastSpring, Commission Junction, Montecito Pet Shop, La Cumbre Feed, Atlas Rehabilitation for Canines, Inklings Print, Buellton Veterinary Clinic, Orcutt Veterinary Hospital and Advanced Veterinary Specialists (AVS), to bring in food, supplies and monetary donations for the organization’s Companion Pet Assistance program. This program offers a range of critical services to those in need, including delivery of pet food, cat litter, flea medication, pet jackets and blankets. It also provides affordable veterinary care, vaccines and free spays and neuters in C.A.R.E.4Paws’ own mobile veterinary clinic. The goal: to keep animals happy, healthy and with their families for life.

“Thousands of pet-owners in our community live in poverty and struggle to provide basic care for themselves and their pets,” says the organization’s cofounder and Executive Director Isabelle Gullo. “For the past 10 years, C.A.R.E.4Paws has offered a safety net of services to ensure animals don’t suffer or get relinquished to a shelter due to lack of resources. Keeping pets and owners together is not only the compassionate thing to do, but it’s considerably less costly to help owned animals than to care for them once they end up in a shelter.” 

For many community members, especially seniors and homeless owners, pets are a lifeline and in some cases, their sole companionship. This is why C.A.R.E.4Paws collaborates with several senior centers and low-income housing facilities for the elderly, bringing services directly to people in the mobile clinic. The organization also partners with human welfare agencies and homeless shelters, such as PATH, Santa Barbara Rescue Mission and Noah’s Anchorage. It has set up pet-food stations that allow clients to pick up food daily and delivers food and supplies directly to homeless clients at various locations. 

“Every year, C.A.R.E.4Paws assists more than 6,000 animals countywide, and we’ve altered 10,000 dogs and cats since our inception in 2009, for free,” Gullo says, adding that this year alone, the nonprofit will perform 1,400 spay/neuter surgeries. “As a result, you see significantly fewer animals in our shelters and overall, a greater awareness around what compassionate pet care entails.”

Suzana Vuk, Account Executive at Zoom, says her team is excited to support animal and pet owners in need through the Pet Food & Donation Drive. “Pets don’t ask for much, while giving us unconditional love, and this is a way for us to give back to our four-legged friends.” She adds, “Sometimes providing a loving home for a pet requires a little help from the community and we want to be a part of the solution.”

Over the next month, C.A.R.E.4Paws asks for contributions of dog and cat food, cat litter, pet jackets, fleece blankets and cash donations. For supply drop-offs, pickups or to participate in the drive, contact info@care4paws.org or 805-968-CARE. For more information about C.A.R.E.4Paws and to make a donation, please visit www.care4paws.org. 

Original Article:

https://www.edhat.com/news/nonprofit-launches-donation-drive-for-seniors-with-pets 

Santa Barbara County nonprofit CARE4Paws, an organization that works to reduce pet overpopulation, launched their new mobile clinic on April 1. They have also expanded their intervention programs in order to help more pet owners in need. Executive Director Isabelle Gullo launched CARE4Paws in response to animals ending up in shelters due to owners lacking the resources to provide proper care.

The goal is to provide accessible services. With the mobile clinic, CARE4Paws is able to go directly to low-income clients’ homes, including seniors and disabled pet owners, to provide veterinary care. The expansion will more than triple the number of pets helped through its Veterinary Intervention Program in 2018, from 100 to 350. Services will include flea treatments, nail cutting, spays, neuters, dental cleanings, mass removals, and vaccines.

Through the support of grants and private donations, CARE4Paws is able to operate to support the county’s most underserved communities — where many families live at or below the poverty line and have limited access to pet care of any kind —providing free or low-cost services directly to those in need.

The mobile clinic hits the road on Fridays, when the mobile veterinary staff assist pets in their owners’ homes or at a central location, such as senior care facilities, assisted living communities, and homeless shelters. More information about CARE4Paws’ mobile clinic and its services in order to make a donation or apply for assistance, can be found at care4paws.org or by contacting 805-968-CARE.

Original Article:

https://www.independent.com/multimedia/santa-barbara-nonprofit-brings-animal-care-underse/