This fall, Nicole feared she’d lose her senior pup, Jax. A painful tooth abscess left him unable to eat or walk, and the $6,000 surgery quote Nicole had received from her vet was impossible. That’s when C.A.R.E.4Paws’ Albus Fund stepped in. Our mobile clinic team eased his pain, started treatment and coordinated discounted surgery with a vet partner. Today, Jax is “running around like a puppy again,” says Nicole.

Created in 2023 with local animal lovers Andrew and Kendra Feshbach and Advanced Veterinary Specialists (AVS), the Albus Fund ensures pets receive lifesaving care when families cannot afford it  working with C.A.R.E.4Paws’ many partner veterinary clinics. This holiday season, for the third year, the Feshbachs invite the community to join a $25,000 matching gift challenge to support the Albus Fund. All donations up to $25,000 will be matched, dollar for dollar, preventing suffering, saving lives and keeping pets healthy and with their people.

Learn more about the Albus Fund’s incredible impact in our inspiring video.

“The cost of urgent veterinary services is out of reach for a growing number of pet families,” says Gullö.   “The Albus Fund match is an incredible opportunity to be there for pets when their people have nowhere else to turn, helping to ensure that animals get the treatment they deserve and families receive the support they desperately need.”

As thousands of Central Coast families struggle to make ends meet, many are fighting to keep their beloved pets fed, healthy and home. To provide urgently needed support, C.A.R.E.4Paws hosted its Howliday Donation Drive-Thru on December 6. Community members dropped off a whole ton of dog and cat food as well as monetary gifts at donation sites in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo (SLO) counties, including Santa Barbara’s Earl Warren Showgrounds, La Cumbre Feed, Dr. Greenthumb’s Dispensary, Klondike Pizza in Santa Maria and Arroyo Grande, Edwards Barn and Creekside Pet Boarding in Arroyo Grande.

And the drive for pet food continued through the month and beyond! Anytime of the year—donation drop-off sites are available at multiple partner locations across Santa Barbara and SLO counties. A full list is available at care4paws.org/drive, where you can also find options to donate funds and contribute food through C.A.R.E.4Paws’ Chewy and Amazon Wish Lists.

A safety net for pet families

“Right now, so many of our neighbors are facing impossible choices, and pets often feel the impact,” says executive director and cofounder Isabelle Gullö. “When families don’t have enough resources, animals are at greater risk of being surrendered to already overwhelmed shelters. C.A.R.E.4Paws is here to prevent that, and we simply can’t do our work without the generosity of this community.”

Most of the food is distributed through Pet Resource Centers co-operated with several animal and human welfare partners, such as Santa Barbara County Animal Services’ (SBCAS), ASAP Cats, Santa Barbara Rescue Mission, People Helping People in Solvang, and 5Cities Homeless Coalition. Food is also provided to pet families staying at Good Samaritan Shelter locations and during weekly community events at Santa Barbara’s Alameda Park and the Santa Maria riverbed. In fact, this Thanksgiving, C.A.R.E.4Paws and partners like Community Action Partnership of SLO County (CAPSLO) shared meals and supplies with families in the riverbed.

To learn more and support the food drive, go to our Donation Drive page.

Our C.A.R.E.4Paws & Pours event at Bien Nacido Estate in Santa Maria was such a success and heartwarming friendraiser! Big thanks to everyone who joined us to sip, snack and support local pet families and our Pet Refuge project. We are truly grateful for the generous donations received—including a $5,000 gift from CoastHills Credit Union.

A special shoutout to Bien Nacido for hosting our event and for donating 10% of weekend proceeds to C.A.R.E.4Paws. Another heartfelt thanks to Klondike Pizza for the gourmet veggie pizza spread provided at an incredible discount. We are in awe of our community’s support for C.A.R.E.4Paws’ programs, all aimed at keeping pets healthy, safe and with the families who love them. 💕

If you could not make it but would like to learn more about, and contribute to, our Pet Refuge, please visit care4paws.org/petrefuge/. We are only $60,000 away from our fundraising goal for the refuge facility and adjoining play yard!

We are hosting a series of Spayathons this fall with matching gift opportunities, and we invite the community to sponsor spay/neuter surgeries. We have received $20,000 from the John J. and Frank Sparacio Foundation and $5,000 from ResQcats (for feline surgeries)—which means your donations go twice as far to reduce pet overpopulation and improve animal welfare!

We hosted a successful Spayathon & Pet Wellness Clinic on August 17 with Santa Barbara County Animal Services at the Santa Maria County shelter. With four vet teams, dedicated clinic crews and many amazing volunteers, we provided 78 spay/neuter surgeries and cared for 83 dogs and cats with walk-in services of vaccines, nail trims, free microchips and more. What a team effort! Big thanks to everyone who contributed, all the pet families who came out, and to Kenji Photography and Andrea Miller for the pawsome photos! 🐾 Our next big Spayathon will be in Paso Robles on September 21 in partnership with SLO County Animal Services.

C.A.R.E.4Paws celebrates our second year of working in Oceano, made possible thanks to our pawsome partnership with PetSmart Charities! Since August 2023, we have brought our mobile clinics to Oceano regularly to ensure pets have access to care. We also collaborate with SLO Food Bank to distribute pet food to those in need.

Our Oceano pet wellness clinics are held on the first Sunday of each month at the Oceano Community Services District (1655 Front Street) and offer vaccines, flea treatments, dewormer, microchips and nail trims for cats and dogs. Spays and neuters, as well as medical care, are available by appointment.

A big thanks to PetSmart Charities for the support and to our clinic and volunteer team for your hard work!

Access to Care Photo Gallery

Collars and pet tags are a pet’s first ticket home, but if they fall off, a microchip provides an extra level of protection. A chip is the size of a grain of rice that gets implanted beneath your pet’s skin, similar to a vaccination. Each chip has its own unique number (think of it as your pet’s social security number). When scanned at an animal shelter or veterinary clinic, the chip reveals your contact information so your pet can be returned to you as quickly as possible. The chip is not the same as a GPS device that tracks your pet.

Beyond our free chip campaign in June, C.A.R.E.4Paws offers microchipping year-round and registers the chip for you. The cost is $15 during regular events and free in Lompoc to residents thanks to CAPA. Chips are also free during many special events with SBCAS and SLOCAS.

This 4th of July holiday, in addition to ensuring your pet is chipped and wears an ID tag, check your fencing and gates and, if you can, keep your four-legged family members inside. Always make sure your pet’s microchip information is up to date with your current phone number, email and address.

We want pets to stay safe and with their families for life. Sponsor a pet’s microchip!