C.A.R.E.4Paws
Services that keep pets healthy and in their homes!
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
C.A.R.E.4Paws works to solve the problem of pet overpopulation and overcrowded shelters and improve animal welfare by addressing a need for access to affordable and accessible pet services for low-income, elderly, disabled and homeless pet owners in underserved neighborhoods. In these areas, many community members live at or below the poverty level, there are high numbers of unaltered, unvaccinated pets and there are limited or nonexistent resources available to help pet owners in need. Financial, cultural and language barriers, plus lack of transportation often prevent these pet owners from pursuing care for their pet, whether it be spaying/neutering, veterinary care or basic care. Without access to pet care, these owners unwittingly contribute to pet overpopulation and overcrowded shelters by keeping intact pets that produce litters of puppies and kittens that often end up in shelters or relinquishing sick or injured pets which they cannot afford to pay for.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Mobile Community Medicine & Spay/Neuter Outreach
C.A.R.E.4Paws' Mobile Community Medicine & Spay/Neuter Outreach is our largest program and the key to our mission of reducing pet overpopulation, preventing suffering and keeping pets out of shelters. Our mobile veterinary team provides free and low-cost spay/neuter surgeries, veterinary care and vaccine clinics directly in Santa Barbara County’s most underserved communities.
In 2022, our Mobile Community Medicine & Spay/Neuter Outreach team assisted more than 10,000 dogs and cats with clinic services. This includes 2,200 spays/neuters and medical treatment to 1,800 pets, compared to 1,300 spays/neuters and 1,171 pets assisted with veterinary care in 2019—prior to the pandemic. Since the pandemic started, we have increased our number of weekly clinic days significantly, from hosting 140 clinics in 2019 to 235 in 2022.
In 2022, we have expanded to provide mobile clinic services to San Luis Obispo County.
Paws Up for Pets
C.A.R.E.4Paws’ Paws Up For Pets program is an innovative educational initiative that engages youth to promote compassion for animals and in the community as a whole. Paws Up For Pets works mainly children enrolled in afterschool programs in underserved areas of Santa Barbara County, such as United Boys & Girls Clubs, the YMCA and Girls, Inc. The goal is to empower our youth to make a difference by showing others that they care about animals and by speaking up against abuse, bullying and discrimination. Our program tagline reads, “Compassion Counts!” Because when we teach our children empathy, we build more caring communities.
Through weekly workshops and special activities, children learn about critical animal welfare topics, such as the responsibilities involved in being a pet owner, spaying/neutering, animal abuse, why animals end up homeless and that all animals are individuals. They have the opportunity to become role models for others and earn diplomas and different badges.
Companion Pet Assistance
Our Companion Pet Assistance (CPA) program, which assists pet owners in need with services such as pet food, supplies, grooming, boarding/foster care and dog walking, was completely revamped in 2020 to accommodate the unparalleled need for help due to COVID-19. Since the pandemic started until the spring of 2022, our CPA team has distributed more than 1 million pounds of pet food to pet owners in need countywide—compared to 4,000 pounds of food distributed in total in 2019 and any year prior.
We provide pet food at all mobile clinic events and participate in several weekly distribution events with agencies such as the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County and People Helping People. Our Mobile Pet Meals team delivers pet food directly to homebound seniors as well as to senior centers and low-income housing facilities. We also host a dozen Pet Resource Centers, where pet owners can pick up food and supplies and sign up for spays/neuters and other services.
Bilingual Community Outreach
C.A.R.E.4Paws was founded in 2009, and since 2011, when we launched our bilingual community spay/neuter outreach program, we have targeted underserved, or “critical” communities in Santa Barbara County—areas where you find high numbers of unaltered, unvaccinated pets, and where a large number of community members live at or below the poverty level. In these areas, there are few resources available to pet owners in need. Our bilingual outreach team focuses primarily on these areas, creating awareness about responsible, compassionate pet care and giving low-income pet owners direct access to free spay/neuter surgeries for their cats and dogs.
We also connect pet owners in need with other free services, such as assistance with veterinary care, delivery of pet food, , animal behavioral training and free or low-cost vaccines—all geared toward keeping animals healthy and in their homes.
Limited funds coupled with lack of awareness and—in many cases—different cultural views when it comes to pet ownership can lead to hardship for the pet and the pet owner. Ultimately, it puts a burden on the community, too, as that animal is more likely to get abandoned at the shelter. We bridge this gap by creating awareness around the importance of spaying/neutering and compassionate pet care and then we make access to services as easy and affordable as possible. Our field experience over the past five years speaks to the effectiveness of this strategy, and the need to keep our focus on critical neighborhoods.
Also, our strong relationships and collaborations with County Animal Services, the three local humane societies, all local rescue groups help us widen and be more efficient with our outreach. So do our growing partnerships with social welfare agencies, such as People Helping People, Food Bank and Central Coast Collaborative on Homelessness. More than ever before, C.A.R.E.4Paws focuses on improving quality of life of pets AND their owners, which benefits the community as a whole.
Safe Haven
Since January 2020, our Safe Haven program has assisted dozens of domestic violence survivors and their companion animals by facilitating free, anonymous foster care or boarding. We collaborate with Domestic Violence Solutions (DVS) and other agencies such as our District Attorney's Office Victim-Witness Assistance Program and Good Samaritan Shelters.
We know that with a proper plan in place, more people are able to leave an abusive partner without fearing for the safety and well-being of a family pet. Not only do we provide a safe space for the animals, but we offer support with vaccines, spays/neuters, medical care, behavioral training and even pet deposits, when needed.
Snip & Chip SLO
In 2022, C.A.R.E.4Paws has expanded our Mobile Community Medicine & Spay /Neuter Outreach services to San Luis Obispo (SLO) through a program called "Snip & Chip SLO," which was created alongside SLO nonprofits Animals in Need Fund and Animal Shelter Adoption Partners. This program aims to curb pet overpopulation, prevent pet homelessness and euthanasia of adoptable animals, and improve animal welfare in SLO County.
We host regular Pet Wellness Clinics, during which we provide free spay and neuter surgeries and low-cost community medicine as well as vaccines, microchips and other critical pet care to pet families in need.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
Congressional Award 2021
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of animals receiving subsidized or free spay/neuter services
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Seniors, Economically disadvantaged people, Homeless people, People with disabilities
Related Program
Mobile Community Medicine & Spay/Neuter Outreach
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Our spay/neuter surgeries are free for low-income pet owners in Santa Barbara County.
Number of animals vaccinated
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Seniors, Economically disadvantaged people, Homeless people
Related Program
Mobile Community Medicine & Spay/Neuter Outreach
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Every year, C.A.R.E.4Paws vaccinates thousands of dogs and cats through our Mobile Community Medicine & Spay/Neuter Outreach program.
Number of pets microchipped
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, Homeless people, Seniors, People with disabilities
Related Program
Mobile Community Medicine & Spay/Neuter Outreach
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We microchip a growing number of pets every year to help ensure pets who get lost can find their way home.
Number of animals given veterinary care
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Seniors, Economically disadvantaged people, Homeless people
Related Program
Companion Pet Assistance
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
In 2018, we had a tremendous jump in veterinary services provided to pet owners in need. We offer a range of free and low-cost medical services in our mobile clinic several days a week.
Number of bags of pet food distributed to households
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Seniors, Economically disadvantaged people, Homeless people, People with disabilities, Young adults
Related Program
Companion Pet Assistance
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Since the pandemic started, we have distributed more than 800,000 pounds (400 tons) of pet food, which is a tremendous increase from pre-pandemic times.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our goals are to reduce shelter intake numbers, improve animal welfare and keep pets healthy and with their families for life.
To reach these goals, we set annual targets for each program and for our organization overall. Every year, we expand our services, providing affordable and accessible pet care to a greater number of pet owners in need in a larger geographical area. As of 2020, we provide care to 20,000 pet families in need annually to reduce pet overpopulation, improve animal welfare and keep animals healthy and with their families.
Our goal for our Mobile Community Medicine & Spay/Neuter Outreach, our largest program, is to provide free and low-cost spay/neuter surgeries and veterinary care and vaccine clinics to at least 10,000 dogs and cats annually. We also provide.
By offering free spay/neuter surgeries and medical care to low-income pet families, we reduce pet overpopulation, end the cycle of backyard breeding and decrease the number of pets living in poverty or abandoned at a shelter, where many spend months or years living in tiny kennels, or worse, get euthanized for lack of space or behavioral/health issues. The vaccines, microchips, flea medication and dewormer provided to thousands of pets during our Pet Wellness Clinics help decrease risk of disease (including rabies and parvo), help lost animals find their way home, and prevent flea problems and allergies which can lead to tremendous suffering for an animal.
Through our Mobile Community Medicine, specifically, we provide health exams, wound treatment, treatment of skin, ear and eye infections, dental cleanings and surgery, mass removals and hernia repairs. By providing these critical medical services to low-income pet owners, we save animals’ lives, reduce animal suffering and lower the number of companion pets that end up in shelters due to their owners’ inability to pay for medical care.
We assist thousands of pet families with food and supplies annually. Since the start of the pandemic, we have provided more than 1 million pounds of pet food to the community. We help dozens of survivors of domestic violence by providing temporary foster care and boarding for their pets. This allows them to escape their abusive partners without worrying for the safety of their animals.
We aim to introduce 500 new students to our Paws Up For Pets humane education program each year. This program inspires compassion for all living beings and expands our reach and ability to assist more pet families in need.
By working directly in high-need, underserved communities, we bring critical pet wellness services directly to the families that need us the most, which removes challenges such as lack of funds, lack of transportation and language barriers. As we build relationships with pet families in need and provide access to essential care on a regular basis, we help change mentalities around pet ownership, which not only benefits the pets and their families, but our community as a whole.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
C.A.R.E.4Paws is only nonprofit animal welfare group in Santa Barbara County and, as of 2022, in San Luis Obispo County, that works directly in the community to assist pet owners in need with accessible, affordable pet wellness services.
By having a steady presence in the community and building strong relationships with pet families, we continue to expand our services and reach with every year. Our Mobile Community Medicine & Spay/Neuter Outreach program gives us great visibility through our two mobile clinics, which we operate five days per week in underserved areas.
Through our Companion Pet Assistance program, we operate Pet Resource Centers in several locations Santa Barbara Countywide. Here, pet families can pick up food and supplies and also gain access to other resources, including mobile clinic services. We also host regular community events that assist unsheltered pet families, especially, with food, supplies, dog grooming and other resources.
We advertise our services and clinic events on social media, on our website, through flyering and media outreach. We also reach many pet families in need through networking with our partner organizations and agencies. In fact, since 2009, C.A.R.E.4Paws has made it a priority to build strong partnerships within the community, including with veterinarians and other pet-service providers, local businesses, as well as Santa Barbara County’s animal shelters, humane societies, rescue groups and animal welfare organizations. For example, Animal Control Officers for Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County Animal Services share information about our clinics and resources with the pet owners they come in contact with. So do the human welfare agencies we work with.
Our collaborations also span dozens of social welfare agencies, such as United Way of Santa Barbara County, Santa Barbara Rescue Mission, Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, PATH Santa Barbara, Good Samaritan Shelters, and Domestic Violence Solutions. We are a founding member of the county's Responsible Pet Ownership Alliance and the Animal Welfare Alliance of Santa Barbara County alongside Animal Shelter Assistance Program (ASAP), Dog Adoption Welfare Group (DAWG) and Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society. As part of Paws Up For Pets, we collaborate with youth groups and afterschool care facilities such as United Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCA and Girls, Inc.
C.A.R.E.4Paws is always looking to see how can best meet our community’s need. For example, since the start of the pandemic, we have tripled the number of pet owners helped annually to more than 20,000—compared to 7,000 in 2019—and we have deepened our reach into the community in an unprecedented way.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
As the only animal nonprofit in Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County working directly in the community to assist pet families in need, C.A.R.E.4Paws is in a unique position to reach our goals. Our bilingual Mobile Community Medicine & Spay/Neuter Outreach team, specifically, brings services TO pet families, ensuring that lack of funds and transportation or language barriers do not get in the way of pets receiving proper care. We operate the only mobile spay/neuter and veterinary clinics on California’s Central Coast. And, in April of 2023, we roll out a brand-new, 37-foot mobile clinic that will allow to assist even more animals in a larger geographical area.
We host regular pet food distribution events, and have been doing so since the start of the pandemic, which also puts us in a position to do boots-on-the-ground work with the pet families that need us the most. An extension of our community work, our Pet Resource Centers, which are run through our Companion Pet Assistance program, are available to pet families every day, providing access to pet food, supplies and other programs.
We have a great network of partners, including animal welfare groups and human welfare agencies, that we work closely with to reach and help more pet families in need. We continue to build strategic partnerships as we know firsthand how important collaborations are to our work, growth and success.
As the need for our services grows annually, we have been successful at fundraising for private donations, receiving business sponsorships and securing more grant money so that we can support the hiring of more staff, increasing clinic expenses and other rising costs. In 2020 through 2022, we have hired more mobile clinic staff members and a Community Programs & Volunteer Coordinator.
Our budget grows annually and we have been successful at meeting out budget goals every year since our founding in 2009.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
C.A.R.E.4Paws has grown steadily every year since our founding in 2009, continuously developing programs and increasing services to ensure we meet the community’s need. Since the pandemic started, our growth has been tremendous. We have tripled the number of families and individuals assisted annually from 7,000 to more than 20,000.
The demand for C.A.R.E.4Paws’ services is only. We are committed to supporting to the community as much as we can now and in the years to come, because we know firsthand that the provision of free and low-cost medical treatment, spays/neuters, pet food, foster care and other services can mean the difference between a pet being able to stay in his home and being relinquished.
In fact, C.A.R.E.4Paws’ work has not only improved animal welfare in our community, but it has had a significant impact on the county’s pet overpopulation problem, most notably in reduced shelter intake numbers.
In 2020, C.A.R.E.4Paws increased the number of clinic services provided by 50% to support people whose lives had been altered by the pandemic. Our clinic numbers grew even more in 2021, and since July 2022, the requests for spay/neuter appointments and other medical services have increased by 30 percent, especially in north Santa Barbara County. To meet the demand, we have hired a second veterinary team and are operating out of both mobile units three to four days per week.
Additionally, we expanded our services to San Luis Obispo (SLO) County in 2022, targeting areas we know are responsible for an outsized percentage of intake numbers at the municipal shelter. We have partnered with SLO County’s Animal Shelter Adoption Partners (ASAP) and Animals in Need Fund to develop a program called Snip & Chip SLO, which will help reduce pet overpopulation and improve animal welfare in the community. As of December 2022, we have already hosted dozens of Snip & Chip SLO Pet Wellness Clinics and altered more than 300 dogs and cats and provided vaccines and other basic yet critical services for 500 pets.
In the first two years of the pandemic, our Companion Pet Assistance program has distributed more than 1 million pounds of food Santa Barbara Countywide. We now operate a dozen Pet Resource Centers where pet owners can pick up food and supplies and sign up for clinic services, and we also distribute food and supplies to the unhoused population in the city of Santa Barbara weekly.
In January of 2020, we launched Safe Haven alongside Domestic Violence Solutions, providing temporary foster care and boarding for pets of domestic violence survivors. Also, we’re very proud of our Paws Up For Pets youth program, which teaches children the importance of caring for their own pets while stressing kindness towards all living beings. C.A.R.E.4Paws partners with local Boys and Girls Clubs and other after school programs that serve primarily middle school aged children.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
C.A.R.E.4Paws
Board of directorsas of 12/31/2023
Christopher Harris
Damitz, Brooks, Nightingale, Turner & Morrisset Accounting Firm
Term: 2022 - 2014
Kathryn Courain
Avalon Wealth Management
Daniel Keep
Publisher, Goleta Family Magazine
Sharon Kantanen
Retired
Day Yeager
Treasured Estates
Nancy Curtis
Manager, Restaurant Chain
Chris Harris
Damitz, Brooks, Nightingale, Turner & Morrisset Certified Public Accountants
Thomas Fisher
Montecito Bank & Trust
Cam Gittler
Gittler Group
Cindy Whelan
Marketing Executive
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 12/14/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.