Our Mission

C.A.R.E.4Paws works to reduce pet overpopulation and improve pet family welfare. 

C.A.R.E.4Paws was founded in 2009 with the goal of preventing dogs and cats from ending up in shelters and improving quality of life for pet families in need in Santa Barbara County. We have since expanded some of our programs to San Luis Obispo (SLO) County.

Our founders started out as shelter volunteers for Santa Barbara County Animal Services, where they experienced firsthand how dogs and cats were abandoned at an incredibly high rate. They realized that the main contributor to shelter overpopulation was lack of access to affordable pet care, from spays/neuters and veterinary treatment to pet food and animal behavior training. They envisioned that by working directly in the community, providing a safety net of free and low-cost services to pet families in need, they could alter the outcome for animals and the people who love them, preventing suffering and pet homelessness.

Over the last 16 years, this vision has become a reality. C.A.R.E.4Paws is a pioneer in what has become a nationwide effort to deliver resources to the people who most need them, eliminating challenges such as economic limitations, distance from care, language barriers and transportation issues. Locally, shelter intake numbers have been reduced and robust programs are in place to keep pets healthy and with their families for life.