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/ 

By Brooke Holland

A desire to help low-income, homeless, senior, and disabled residents and their pets has put C.A.R.E.4Paws new mobile veterinary clinic on the road.

The Santa Barbara County nonprofit launched a mobile veterinary service April 1 to provide more spaying and neutering surgeries, treat pets in need of veterinary assistance, and serve residents who may not have transportation to a veterinary clinic.

“We can bring our services directly to those in the community that need it the most,” said Executive Director Isabelle Gullo, who cofounded the organization in 2009 to prevent animals from becoming homeless.

The mobile veterinary staff aids pets on Fridays in their homes or at a central location such as senior-care facilities and assisted-living communities.

“We eliminate any obstacles, not just the lack of finances but also the lack of transportation,” Gullo said of the mobile clinic.

Staff provides services ranging from vaccination and wound treatment to dental cleaning and mass removal, according to Gullo.

Depending on the pet owner’s situation, Gullo said, mobile medical services are offered free or at a low cost.

Clients requesting help must fill out an application and show proof of financial need.

“For the demographic that we focus on, most pet owners can’t afford to pay $100,” she said of veterinary bills. “It’s important that our services are free.”

The 26-foot-long clinic vehicle, which replaced C.A.R.E.4Paws’ aging and lower-capacity Spay Mobile, was financed through grants and private donations.

“The new van allows us to house more animals inside during the day,” Gullo said. “We are also going to be able to house larger dogs.”

To apply for assistance or to make a donation, visit care4paws.org.

“Medical service for pets can get expensive, and if you’re living on a fixed income it’s hard to provide veterinary care,” Gullo said. “We are providing that bridge so that people don’t have to relinquish their pets due to financial constraints.”

Original Article:

https://www.noozhawk.com/article/c.a.r.e.4paws_takes_veterinary_clinic_on_the_road 

By Mike Hodgson

Santa Barbara County nonprofit C.A.R.E.4Paws launched a new mobile clinic April 1 and expanded some of its programs to assist low-income, senior and disabled residents and their pets.

The new mobile clinic, which replaced C.A.R.E.4Paws’ aging and lower-capacity Spay Mobile, will allow the organization to perform more mobile spay and neuter procedures each year, a spokeswoman said.

It will also let the organization treat a majority of pets in need of veterinary assistance “in-house” instead of sending them to a partner veterinarian.

Pets suffering from treatable medical conditions, like skin infections and dental disease, are often relinquished to animal shelters by owners who can’t afford the cost of veterinary care, said Isabelle Gullo, executive director, who cofounded C.A.R.E.4Paws in 2009 to prevent animals from becoming homeless.

But with financial assistance, the animals could have stayed with their families, Gullo said.

With the help of grants and private donations, C.A.R.E.4Paws is able 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, she said.

On Fridays, the mobile veterinary staff helps pets in their homes or at a central location, including senior care facilities and assisted living communities, providing services ranging from vaccinations and wound treatment to dental cleanings and mass removals.

Mobile medical services are offered at a low cost or free of charge if clients fill out a request for help and show proof of financial need, Gullo said.

For more information, to make a donation or to apply for assistance, visit care4paws.org or call 968-CARE.

Original Article:

https://syvnews.com/news/local/c-a-r-e-paws-rolls-out-new-mobile-clinic/article_4cec1dd4-5d6d-54bd-8594-cd09239df509.html 

By Mike Hodgson

The sound of children talking, yelling, squealing and laughing poured from the white van as it rocked on its axles in front of Jonata School.

Through the rear door, next to a license plate reading “DVM 2U” and below a round C.A.R.E.4Paws logo, half a dozen children were clamoring to pet a small black-and-brown dog.

Surrounded by the crowd, Carlos Abitia stood near the cab, patiently telling the children about the calm but wary dog nestled in his arms as they reached out to stroke its head.

Closer to the rear door, three or four other children jockeyed to become the next one to climb up into a small cage to get an idea of what it’s like for dogs that are in a cage.

Meanwhile, in a school classroom, Isabelle Gullo cradled another small black dog as she told a dozen children seated around a table about Puppy Davey, as they each held black-and-brown Beanie puppies named Davey.

Gullo and Avitia, the co-founders of C.A.R.E.4Paws, were presenting a program designed to foster compassion and empathy for animals called Paws Up for Pets, to children of the Buellton Unit of the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara County.

“Paws Up for Pets was inspired, in part, by some incidents of severe animal abuse in Santa Barbara County, including what happened to Puppy Davey,” said Gullo, executive director of C.A.R.E.4Paws.

“Really, the goal is to make the youth we’re working with ambassadors for animals, to make them good stewards in the community to help fight abuse, discrimination and bullying,” she continued. “There’s discrimination in our community just like there’s discrimination against certain animals — pit bulls, Chihuahuas and black cats.

“But beyond animal welfare, it’s about kindness for all living beings,” she added. “We hope they will promote animal welfare and, in return, take those values into adulthood. That’s how we change things.”

While C.A.R.E.4Paws has presented short, one-day programs promoting animal welfare at schools and youth groups, Gullo said Paws Up for Pets is presented in sessions lasting 30 minutes to an hour over the course of a year.

Parts of the sessions can be serious, like the discussion Gullo was leading in the classroom, or more free-wheeling and fun, like the one in the van supervised by Avitia, the C.A.R.E.4Paws community outreach and youth program director.

“It’s really fun,” one girl said, as she hurried toward the school with a friend after having her heart rate and blood pressure checked inside the Mobile Spay Van. “I’ve really learned a lot, too.”

Children in the program are assigned certain tasks — like creating artwork or writing a poem, participating in a Power-Point presentation, learning all about proper animal care and taking a quiz — to complete over the course of six to eight weeks.

Once they fulfill their assignments, they earn badges like Animal Ambassador, Animal Advocate, Animal Hero and Animal Leader.

They also receive certificates, T-shirts and the Beany puppy, which is modeled after the real Puppy Davey and was created as a way to promote compassion for animals.

Davey’s story

The story of Davey’s short life is horrific, so children in Paws Up for Pets are spared the most gruesome details. Still, it’s a powerful argument for animal rights.

Davey was a 5-month-old miniature pinscher puppy who was taken to a veterinary hospital in May 2014 by the girlfriend of the man who had repeatedly and mercilessly tortured him over a period of days, if not weeks.

He was suffering from broken bones, broken teeth, burns over 80 percent of his body, nerve damage and mutilated genitals.

Veterinarians, who renamed him Davey for the small hero of the David and Goliath parable, labored for two weeks trying to save him, but his injuries were so overwhelming, they eventually were forced to euthanize him.

It was a full year before the 19-year-old Chinese exchange student who tortured him was charged with two counts of felony animal abuse with an enhancement of using a deadly weapon — a barbecue ignition torch — to burn the puppy.

The man showed no remorse, but to avoid a jury trial in the airtight case against him, he pleaded guilty. He was facing 7½ years in state prison, yet the judge sentenced him to only a year in County Jail — he served only six months before he was deported to China.

The outrage sparked by his sentence led Gretchen Lief to create Davey’s Voice, a coalition of animal rights groups, and partly inspired the development of Paws Up for Pets.

Gullo said Lief had connections to Ty Inc., which makes Beanie Babies, and at her request the company agreed to create the Beany Puppy Davey to give a voice for the animals. Davey’s Voice donates them to Paws Up for Pets.

Hopes for expansion

C.A.R.E.4Paws launched Paws Up for Pets in October 2016, and it was presented at schools and youth clubs in Santa Barbara before last fall, when it was brought to the Boys & Girls Club Buellton Unit, which consists of second- through sixth-grade students from Oak Valley Elementary School.

“It’s an awesome program,” said Jesse Gonzalez, Boys & Girls Club director of the Buellton Unit, who had seen it in operation in Santa Barbara. “I saw how the children really had a good time interacting with the animals.”

He said not only dogs but also cats and birds are used in the program, and the children take a field trip to the animal shelter.

“A lot of them think if you want a pet, you go to the pet shop,” Gonzalez said. “This shows them how they can adopt a pet from a shelter. It teaches them what kids and adults can do to keep animals from abuse.”

He noted it’s a good addition to the services provided by the Boys & Girls Club, which not only provides students with homework help but also computer safety training, sports, arts and crafts and various activities related to STEAM, which stands for the fields of science, technology, engineering, art and math.

Gullo said that as a result of funding from generous donors, C.A.R.E.4Paws is able to provide the program free of charge, but it will take a lot more donations to provide it at multiple locations

“We’re trying to get it countywide,” Gonzalez said of Paws Up for Pets. “Hopefully, we’ll get all our (Boys & Girls Club) sites onboard, because it really is an awesome program.

“It gives kids the opportunity to interact with pets socially,” he added, noting that can have other benefits for children.

“Sometimes you have children who are shy, separated from the group,” he said. “But with the animals there, they start interacting, even with other kids around.”

Original Article:

https://syvnews.com/news/local/paws-up-for-pets-fosters-care-for-animals-among-elementary/article_fc4f3875-89ea-514c-aa90-b3dace6797ce.html 

By Julia Lee