C.A.R.E.4Paws, Inc.

C.A.R.E.4Paws was founded in 2009 with the goal of preventing dogs and cats from ending up in shelters and improving quality of life for pet families in need in Santa Barbara County. We have since expanded some of our programs to San Luis Obispo (SLO) County. Our founders started out as shelter volunteers for Santa Barbara County Animal Services, where they experienced firsthand how dogs and cats were abandoned at an incredibly high rate. They realized that the main contributor to shelter overpopulation was lack of access to affordable pet care, from spays/neuters and veterinary treatment to pet food and animal behavior training. They envisioned that by working directly in the community, providing a safety net of free and low-cost services to pet families in need, they could alter the outcome for animals and the people who love them, preventing suffering and pet homelessness.