C.A.R.E.4Paws ends our 10th year and a decade that surpassed all expectations. Hands and paws down: YOU make it all possible.
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Happy new year!
As 2020 kicks off a second decade for C.A.R.E.4Paws, we have LOTS to celebrate. Since 2009, we've helped improve animal welfare and reduce shelter intake numbers in Santa Barbara County significantly by assisting low-income, senior and homeless community members with critical pet wellness services. Plus, our educational outreach inspires compassion and accountability for animals. Read on for more pawsitive details and all that we've accomplished with YOUR help.
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A decade that truly deserves a recap!
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Since our start in 2009, we have:
- Performed 11,000+ spays and neuters for free, including 1,300 surgeries in 2019, preventing countless of unwanted animals from ending up in shelters and allowing our shelters to rescue animals at risk from outside of our county.
- Provided free and low-cost veterinary care for at least 3,000 dogs and cats—1,070 of them in 2019 alone, more than a 1,000% increase from 2017!
- Hosted Pet Wellness Clinics for thousands of animals annually, offering vaccines, microchips, flea treatment and other care at low cost. We hosted more than 140 clinics this year!
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- Introduced regular Pet Wellness Clinics at senior centers and low-income housing facilities, where many pet owners live in poverty.
- Expanded our Mobile Pet Meals services and established more than a dozen countywide Pet Resource Centers, where community members in need can pick up pet food and supplies and also sign up for pet wellness services.
- Expanded collaborations to include even more human welfare agencies and local businesses, in addition to our longtime animal shelter and rescue partners.
- Hosted 11 great Wags n' Whiskers Festivals, inspiring homes for hundreds of pets. This year's festival was our most successful yet.
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On a roll to help the community
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This year, because of a significant increase in the number of mobile services we provide and, especially, the demand for affordable veterinary care, we have combined our spay/neuter, veterinary intervention, vaccine clinic and community outreach programs into one larger program: Mobile Community Medicine & Spay/Neuter Outreach. We will help more than 7,000 pet owners and their animals with pet wellness services this year. Another record!
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Supporting our furever friends
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C.A.R.E.4Paws has a lot of friends in the community, Tim and Little Bit among them. Tim fell and broke his arm in early December and with help of our board members, volunteers and many other amazing supporters, he and Little Bit have been able to stay at a motel to recover over the holidays. Tim is determined to find permanent housing and a job, which is the best holiday news ever for his and Little Bit's fans. We're here to support them as much as we can!
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Pet emergency training for our first responders
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In October, we launched
Pet Emergency Training (P.E.T.) for First Responders
, alongside Dr. Andrea Wells and her team from Advanced Veterinary Specialists (AVS) and dog trainer Brian Glen. Our countywide program shows first responders how to safely handle and care for pets in an emergency situation, covering most aspects of emergency pet care along with dog behavior tools to ensure first responders stay safe. Participants also learn about C.A.R.E.4Paws’ many programs and services so that they can share this information with pet owners in need.
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Assistance for victims of domestic violence
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In January, we're launching a program to help
victims of domestic violence
in collaboration with partners such as Domestic Violence Solutions, Advanced Veterinary Specialists (AVS), Animal Shelter Assistance Program (ASAP), Dog Adoption Welfare Group (DAWG) and Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society. We will provide safe, anonymous refuge for pets so that their owners can leave abusive partners without fearing for their animals’ safety. Most domestic violence shelters are unable to accept pets unless they are service animals, which means that many abuse victims stay with their partners out of fear that their animals will get hurt, or worse, if they leave. In our program, pets will be cared for until they can be reunited with their owners. Stay tuned for more details!
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Happy "Banksgiving!"
On November 25, Montecito Bank & Trust honored close to 200 local nonprofits, including C.A.R.E.4Paws, with generous Community Dividends Grants. We also received an Anniversary Grant from the bank in March and a sponsorship for Wags n' Whiskers. Thank you, Chairman and CEO Janet Garufis and all of the bank associates, for your wonderful support since 2010. In the photo from left: Janet Garufis, executive director Isabelle Gullo and board member Thomas Fisher.
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A huge thank you to Arthur Von Wiesenberger and
AnimalZone
for the great coverage of C.A.R.E.4Paws, including our mobile clinic and Wags n' Whiskers. AnimalZone features all types of animals and the dedicated rescues, shelters, animal welfare groups and animal advocates who work to help our four-legged friends. We're honored to be a part of the show. In the photo, Arthur is interviewing C.A.R.E.4Paws' volunteer Julian Abitia about his two rescue pups and what it takes to be a great pet caretaker, which includes providing "compassion, care, free slippers and parking space for pet lovers!" Here's that
clip with Julian and his pups
and also
a clip about the mobile clinic and C.A.R.E.4Paws' work.
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Our Wags n' Whiskers Festival at Santa Barbara City College on October 12 was hugely successful, breaking all kinds of records! We had 45 dog, cat and bunny adoptions, 1,600-plus festival-goers and more animal groups and business vendors participating than ever before. Plus, we put on fun activities all day long, like our big Best in Show contest, dog agility, a petting zoo, a great demo by the K-9 unit from Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department and more.
Find more event details and a list of our amazing sponsors here
. Festival photos by WinkFace Photography.
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Always here to care 4 paws!
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