Three mobile clinics will be deployed to Oceano on August 6, with the goal of providing free care to community animals for city residents in need.
Although CARE4Paws charges for its services on a sliding scale and offers paid services to those who cannot afford to pay anything, the non-profit organization is able to help the pet population of the seaside thanks to a $120,000 grant from PetSmart Charities.
“Only 10 nonprofits in the United States have received this grant, so it is an incredible honor and wonderful opportunity to be part of this innovative initiative,” said Isabelle Gullö, Executive Director of CARE4Paws. “This grant is part of PetSmart Charities’ visionary new $100 million grant program focused on underserved communities.”
CARE4Paws had the opportunity to choose a community to serve when it applied for the Access to Care Project grant. Gullö said Oceano is a fairly isolated area where pet families have no access to veterinary care or even affordable pet food, about 42 percent of community members are Hispanic and income per capita is less than $34,000 per year.
As part of the first Pet Wellness Clinic event at Oceano Parks and Recreation on August 6, the nonprofit will provide free sterilizations and medical care inside its mobile units by prior appointment, as well as a walk-in clinic with free services. vaccines, microchips, flea treatment, deworming medication and nail clipping. Gullö said CARE4Paws will return to Oceano on August 11 and 18, then weekly or bi-weekly, depending on turnout for the first two events.
“It’s a little hard to say how huge the need will be, but we certainly plan to have a regular presence there in the future,” she said.
Gullö co-founded the nonprofit in 2009 with Carlos Abitia, another Santa Barbara County Animal Services shelter volunteer who runs the CARE4Paws mobile clinic. She said they realized the biggest contributor to shelter overcrowding was the lack of access to affordable pet care. So they launched a nonprofit that would work directly with communities, providing low-cost or no-cost care to pet families in need. In 2022, CARE4Paws expanded its mobile community outreach and spay/neuter program in SLO County with plans to do more in the future, including serving North County communities.
On August 6, the nonprofit organization will launch its new 37 foot mobile clinic in Oceano, which CARE4Paws has raised funds for over the past three years.
“The new clinic is larger and better equipped than our existing 26ft units, with capacity for two surgical teams and increased kennel space, allowing us to house more large dogs during clinic days,” Gullö said. “This means we will use it the most in the future, but we plan to double or use all three units as often as resources allow. The need for assistance continues to grow in Santa Barbara Counties and SLO, and we want to do whatever we can can accommodate that request.
To make an appointment, visit care4paws.org/clinicservices And care4paws.org/oceano. To learn more about CARE4Paws and find out how to contribute to the organization, visit care4paws.org.
• THE Atascadero Elks Lodge awarded six $1,000 scholarships to graduates of Atascadero and Templeton High Schools. The recipients were celebrated at a dinner at the lodge on July 27. “The Atascadero Elks’ Lodge is committed to helping local high school graduates succeed and thrive in college,” the lodge’s elated leader, Ronnie Maxwell, said in a statement. “The Elks are committed to supporting our young people because they are our greatest resource, and in the years to come they will assume the leadership of our society.” Since its inception in 1987, the Atascadero Elks has contributed over $850,000 to community programs.
• Friends of elephant seals recruits new guides to help visitors understand the life history of northern elephant seals at Piedras Blancas colony in San Simeon. The nonprofit organization is offering a six-week training course in the fall of 2023 to prepare new guides to meet the public as informal educators and wildlife interpreters. It will include independent study and online training sessions beginning in September, as well as three outdoor in-person mentoring sessions. Guides must be available to work three or four three-hour shifts per month. The application deadline is August 21. Visit Elephantseal.org/become-a-docent to complete an application. Δ
Editor Camillia Lanham wrote this week’s Strokes. To contact us, send an email (email protected).