Having access to veterinary care improves the lives of pets and their people. Yet, for many families, gaining that access is difficult, unless pet wellness services are brought directly to a family’s neighborhood, which is what C.A.R.E.4Paws does in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo (SLO) counties through its Mobile Community Medicine & Spay/Neuter Outreach program.
In August, the nonprofit will open its third mobile veterinary clinic, as well as an Access to Care initiative in the city of Oceano, made possible through grant funding from PetSmart Charities.
The Access to Care project starts Sunday, Aug. 6 with a Pet Wellness Clinic for Oceano families in need at Oceano Community Services District, 1655 Front St.
C.A.R.E.4Paws will provide free spays/neuters, health exams and other medical care by appointment in its two 26-foot mobile clinics and the new, 37-foot unit. (Apply through care4paws.org/oceano).
Outside the mobile units, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., C.A.R.E.4Paws offers free vaccines, flea treatment, deworming medication, microchips and nail trims for dogs and cats on a walk-in, first-come, first-serve basis.
The mobile clinic includes a double surgery suite, added equipment, and ample kennel space to house animals, including more large dogs. The unit allows C.A.R.E.4Paws to increase both the number of pets served annually and the geographical reach of its services.
C.A.R.E.4Paws has provided free and low-cost mobile wellness services and other critical resources for pet families in need in Santa Barbara County since 2009. In 2022, it brought its mobile clinic services to SLO County.
The organization is one of only 10 animal welfare organizations in the U.S. to receive the Access to Care grant from PetSmart Charities.
The grant provides $120,000 in funding for the first year and, if C.A.R.E.4Paws qualifies for consecutive years, the funding increases. The grant focuses on historically excluded communities, and Latino communities were selected to comprise the first group of grantee emphasis.
“Many small, remote communities on the Central Coast, like Oceano, have chronically lacked access to pet wellness services of any kind,” says Isabelle Gullö, C.A.R.E.4Paws’ executive director/cofounder.
Of Oceano’s roughly 7,200 community members, 42 percent are Hispanic and the per-capita income is less than $34,000 per year, she said.
“When people struggle to care for their companion animals, it affects everyone in the family. The PetSmart Charities funding allows us to provide free veterinary services in Oceano on a continued basis, which helps keep pets healthy, out of shelters and with the people who love them,” she said.
“Most people today consider pets family, yet 50 million pets in the U.S. struggle to access even basic preventative care such as spay/neuter procedures, vaccinations and annual exams,” says Kate Atema, director of community grants and initiatives at PetSmart Charities.
“While this issue affects families in nearly every community, those who have been historically excluded from human social services are most in need of pet services, too,” she said. “We’re proud to support this innovative approach that meets the unique needs identified by those living in the communities themselves.”
C.A.R.E.4Paws’ new mobile clinic, the result of a three-year fundraising effort, will play a key role in the organization’s work in Oceano, as well as its work in other SLO and Santa Barbara County communities.
For more about C.A.R.E.4Paws’ Mobile Community Medicine & Spay/Neuter Outreach, its Access to Care project, and to make an appointment, visit care4paws.org/clinicservices and care4paws.org/oceano. To learn more about C.A.R.E.4Paws and how to donate, visit care4paws.org.