C.A.R.E.4Paws expands mobile pet clinic to San Luis Obispo County
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- C.A.R.E.4Paws in Santa Barbara County expanded its free mobile spay-and-neuter clinic to San Luis Obispo County this month with the goal of fighting pet overpopulation and homelessness in SLO County.
“Pet care can be very expensive, forcing families to choose between paying household bills or altering and vaccinating their animals,” said Isabelle Gullo, co-founder and executive director of C.A.R.E.4Paws.
“The key to preventing pet homelessness and suffering is to work directly in underserved neighborhoods, building relationships and ensuring pet families have access to the services they need. Not only do you improve quality of life for these pets and pet owners, but you enhance the welfare of the whole community."
C.A.R.E.4Paws is a nonprofit organization that assists thousands of families in Santa Barbara County by providing affordable mobile spays and neuters, veterinary care, and vaccine clinics, among other services, Gullo said.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gullo said that C.A.R.E.4Paws has received a growing number of spay/neuter inquires from low-income families in SLO County, primarily in Nipomo and Oceano.
The C.A.R.E.4Paws team has been able to accommodate many of the requests despite its main service area being Santa Barbara County, she added.
“It’s hard to say no when the animals may not get altered otherwise,” said Gullo. “Pets don’t know the county line and pet overpopulation affects everyone on the Central Coast. Now that we’re officially expanding to SLO County, working with two great nonprofit partners, we can serve more people and pets in a larger geographical area.”
C.A.R.E.4Paws is partnering with SLO County nonprofits, Animals in Need Fund and Animal Shelter adoption Partners, to bring two Snip & Chip pet wellness clinics to SLO County.
The clinics will be held on Feb. 20 and March 20 at Nipomo Dog & Cat Hospital, and veterinary teams will perform at least 150 free spays or neuters by prior appointment, Gullo said.
Dogs and cats will also be able to receive low-cost, walk-in vaccines, flea treatment, deworming medication, nail trims, and microchips from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., she added.
To reach as many families as possible, the Snip & Chip SLO team is looking to partner with local veterinary clinics, pet service providers, and other animal and social welfare groups, Gullo said.
The goal is to host multiple events throughout the county in 2022, she added.
For more information about Snip & Chip SLO, click here or email info@snipslo.org.
