We believe no family should ever be forced to choose between their own safety and the well-being of their beloved animals, or have to relinquish a pet to a shelter because they have nowhere else to turn. This is why we launched C.A.R.E.4Paws’ Pet Refuge, our region’s first confidential emergency boarding facility to provide temporary, free shelter for Central Coast pets whose families are navigating life crises such as escape from domestic violence, deportation, hospitalization and displacement due to fires or other disasters. 

We help pets like sweet Diamond and her puppies in the photo above, preventing suffering and providing a lifeline for many animals and their people.

The Refuge houses dogs in a state-of-the-art, 10-bay dog kennel structure with an adjacent, 40,000-square-foot play-yard. Cats stay in cozy rooms in a separate, quiet building. A third-party partner provides the day-to-day care of the animals, with C.A.R.E.4Paws staff and volunteers supporting animals with extra one-on-one time and exercise as well as wellness appointments.

Please note that as C.A.R.E.4Paws is not a shelter or rescue group, the intent is not to take in adoptable pets. The goal is to provide temporary care for dogs and cats in need until they can safely be reunited with their families. The location will remain undisclosed to protect the families we are helping.

To learn more about our Safe Haven domestic violence assistance program, click the button below.

Want to support this critical project? We offer opportunities to sponsor boarding and the play-yard along with many other ways to contribute, including assistance with wellness services, grooming, food and supplies for dogs and cats in our care. Sponsorships of $5,000 and above include your name or business logo displayed on the back of our mobile clinics.

Prefer to send a check? Please mail it to:

C.A.R.E.4Paws
P.O. Box 60524
Santa Barbara, CA 93160

For questions, please contact isabelle@care4paws.org.

“I enthusiastically support C.A.R.E.4Paws and the development of the anonymous Pet Refuge,” says top sponsor Dr. Kathleen Curtis, proud poodle mom to Libby. “This is an amazing opportunity to help pets and their people to stay together through difficult legal, health and family emergencies. Recent immigration enforcement actions have caused families facing detention or deportation to have to make the heartbreaking decision to abandon or surrender their pets. Displaced pets are now packing pet shelters, rescue organizations and long-term foster homes, abruptly separated from the families who love them. The refuge is an urgently-needed solution, a way for beloved pets to be cared for in a free, safe, temporary boarding space until it’s possible to reunite with their families.”