ABOUT US


C.A.R.E.4Paws, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, evolved from the desire of its founders to make a difference in the world of dogs and cats at the grassroots level. Having spent countless hours volunteering for animal welfare organizations, it became clear to us that the pet overpopulation so prevalent at shelters across Santa Barbara County and beyond will only come to a halt through education (bilingual and bi-cultural), combined with the availability of affordable spay and neuter programs and retention programs, such as dog training intervention. We believe that increased public awareness about responsible pet ownership will inspire a greater sense of respect, compassion and accountability for all animals. Collaborating with area shelters and rescue groups, the Santa Barbara and Santa Maria Humane Societies, Santa Barbara County Animal Services as well as pet service providers, we work to boost shelter adoptions and pet retention, lower the number of unwanted pets born and, ultimately, decrease the amount of adoptable animals euthanized in shelters each year.

MISSION STATEMENT


C.A.R.E.4Paws promotes responsible pet ownership and animal welfare in Santa Barbara County. We create awareness through educational programs and dog training intervention and provide the resources necessary to make spaying and neutering a viable option for all. We collaborate with private and public institutions in the community to decrease the number of animals that enter shelters and rescue groups as well as to increase adoption rates within these organizations.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS


Isabelle Gullö, Cofounder and President of the Board
A transplant of Sweden, Isabelle Gullö is a writer, editor and photojournalist by trade. Still, after several years as a K-9 PALS shelter volunteer and dog adoption counselor, animal welfare has become her true life passion. Isabelle coordinates C.A.R.E.4Paws' adoption events, spay and neuter programs, training intervention workshops and educational outreach. She is also the organization's media rep and web designer. Together with husband Carlos Abitia, she is the proud owner and foster parent of five rescue dogs: Bailey, Casper, Eddies, Nano and Canela.

Carlos Abitia, Cofounder and Vice President of the Board
Carlos Abitia's fascination with animals began before he could even walk. It seems only natural then that the native of Guadalajara, Mexico, would become a veterinarian. Carlos ran his own veterinary clinic in Guadalajara before moving to Santa Barbara seven years ago. Locally, his professional experience includes work at C.A.R.E. emergency pet hospital, at the Santa Barbara Zoo and at several area clinics. Through his work as a vet and shelter volunteer in both the U.S. and Mexico, Carlos has become an advocate for animal welfare and responsible pet ownership. He oversees C.A.R.E.4Paws spay and neuter program and supervises its training and educational workshops.

ADVISORY BOARD


Andrea Bratt, Certified Dog Behaviorist
Andrea Bratt is a certified professional dog trainer specializing in clicker training, a type of positive reinforcement training. She teaches private lessons and group classes in the Santa Barbara area, including a class for newly adopted dogs through K-9 PALS. Andrea has been involved in animal rescue for several years and has been a volunteer for Bunnies Urgently Needing Shelter (BUNS), DAWG, K-9 PALS, Second Chance Cocker, Second Chance Cats and Best Friends. She enjoys teaching shelter animals skills that can make them more adoptable as well as more comfortable in a shelter environment.

Sally Bulles
Since the year 2000, Sally Bulles, who recently retired after 33 years as a Human Resource Specialist for Los Padres National Forest, has been on a tireless mission to care for homeless animals in Santa Barbara County. She contributes her time and talents as volunteer and adoption counselor for local rescue groups K-9 PALS, Second Chance Cats and C.A.P.A. at the Lompoc Animal Shelter, and has also provided foster care to countless senior shelter dogs in the final stages of their lives. In addition to serving on C.A.R.E.4 Paws' board, Sally assists with off-site events, spay/neuter outreach and classroom education.

Cindy Engel, DVM
Ever since Dr. Cindy Engel received her degree from Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1997, she has enjoyed caring for animals of all sizes and shapes. When not working at La Cumbre Animal Hospital, she can be found providing surgical and medical care for dogs at Dog Adoption & Welfare Group (DAWG) as these pups wait for their forever homes. Engel shares her life with husband Leroy, two children, a siamese cat, a DAWG rescue pup and a cockatiel.

Chris Erskine
Chris Erskine is a UCSB graduate who works as a training coordinator for a large corporation in the Santa Barbara area. While living in San Luis Obispo County , she volunteered at Woods Humane Society and SLO County Animal Services, where she did adoption counseling and visited convalescent homes with shelter dogs as therapy animals. Chris now lives in S.B. and volunteers at K-9 PALS while supporting various animal welfare causes and nonprofits. She is dedicated to the belief that community outreach and education can change the way we view our relationship with animals and end the crisis in pet- overpopulation and animal abuse.

Dr. Ruth Corbo, BS, DVM, CVCP, CVA
For the past 13 years, "Dr. Ruth” Corbo has practiced small animal medicine and surgery on the Central Coast, primarily in Santa Maria, with an emphasis in holistic medicine. She also serves her community with participation in spay and neuter programs, including Spay Days for C.A.R.E.4Paws, and offers house-call services via Dr. Ruth's Vet2Pet Mobile Holistic Veterinary Services. Dr. Corbo is certified by the International Association of Veterinary Chiropractioners and a graduate of the Chi Institute of Chinese Medicine. In fact, she is one of only 71 Chi Institute Certified Veterinary Acupuncturists in California and only one of two within 100 miles of Santa Maria. She is happily married with three "fantastic children ranging in age from 5 to 22" and, as she calls it, an “abundant menagerie of nonhuman companions.”

Dr. Ron Faoro, DVM
A graduate from Washington State University School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Ron Faoro, owner of St. Francis Pet Clinic, has been a practicing veterinarian in Santa Barbara since 1981. He regularly donates his time and talents to Santa Barbara County Animal Services' Feral Cat Spay Days and has joined forces with C.A.R.E.4Paws to help with its Spay & Neuter Program. In 2008-2009, Dr. Faoro served as Chair of the Spay-Neuter Action Plan (SNAP) Task Force for the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. He is also the current president of the California Veterinary Medical Foundation, the charitable arm of the CVMA. When not spending time with his wife, Elizabeth, and daughter, Sierra, Dr. Faoro loves to paraglide the mountains of Santa Barbara.

Dr. Brenda Forsythe, DVM
Dr. Brenda Forsythe, owner and chief veterinarian of Orcutt Veterinary Hospital in Santa Maria, has been practicing full-time medicine and surgery since her graduation from UC Davis in 1998. Dr. Forsythe also holds a second doctorate in Animal Science with a special interest in behavior, and is an Animal Behavior Society Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB). She serves on the California Veterinary Medical Association's Board of Governors, the California Veterinary Medical Association's Animal Welfare Committee, and is President of the Mid Coast Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Forsythe also serves as President of the Central Valley Coalition for Animals, an organization dedicated to ending dog and cat overpopulation.

Mario Gonzales
While living in Arkansas, Mario Gonzales made a new year's resolution to start volunteering at the Fayetteville Animal Shelter—and so he discovered a passion for helping abandoned animals. As soon as Mario and his wife moved to Santa Barbara in 2006, he began volunteering with K-9 PALS at the SB county shelter, from where he adopted Osa as a playmate for his older rescue, Happy. Mario can be found at the shelter every Saturday, doing adoptions and working hard to improve quality of life for the dogs in residence.

Dr. Greg Haskell, DVM
The owner of Adobe Pet Hospital, Dr. Greg Haskell received his degree in veterinary medicine from University of California at Davis in 1981. The fifth-generation Californian has been practicing in Santa Barbara County ever since, specializing in small and exotic pets.

Lee E. Heller
Lee Heller, Ph.D, J.D., has been rescuing animals since she brought home her first stray dog at the age of eight. She worked briefly at the Chicago Anti-Cruelty Society in 1980-81, then became active in animal rescue work in Santa Barbara in 1997. She has volunteered with DAWG, K-9 PALS, ASAP, Catalyst for Cats, ResQCats, and Santa Barbara Animal Rescue, in a variety of capacities. She was also the Santa Barbara County Volunteer Coordinator for both the California Healthy Pets Act and Prop 2, The Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act. Lee is particularly interested in expanding outreach to and provision of spay-neuter services to low income pet owners.

Dr. Eve Kuesis, DVM
Dr. Eve Kuesis, who practices at La Cumbre Animal Hospital, grew up in Los Angeles in a big family of six kids with lots of dogs, cats and horses. From an early age, she wanted to be a veterinarian. She received her BS from UC Berkeley and went on to get her veterinary degree from UC Davis in 1993. With her husband, a local equine veterinarian, Kuesis lived and worked in both Chicago and Scottsdale before returning to Southern California. The mother of two, Kuesis owns  two dogs, two cats, three horses and many fish. In her spare time, she loves to ride her horse and swim on a masters swim team.

Tina Kudron
Born and raised on the Central Coast , Tina Kudron has always had a passion for animals and their welfare. Over the years, she has rescued several animals that all became beloved pets. She has also volunteered at local shelters, experiencing first-hand the need for improved community awareness for animals. Employed with Montecito Bank & Trust, which encourages associates' involvement in the community, Kudron believes her time dedicated to C.A.R.E.4Paws is a perfect compliment to that vision as well as her love for animals. The proud owner of a rescued Rottweiler, she shares in C.A.R.E.4Paws' mission of educated and responsible pet ownership. She also feels the need to change the perception that shelter animals don't measure up to those you would get from a breeder. In her spare time, Kudron enjoys time with her family and friends, going to the beach, listening to music and painting.

Carrie LeBlanc
An East Coast transplant, Carrie LeBlanc has been working in fundraising for the last five years after leaving the world of academia. She works as the Development Officer at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and is a board member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals' Santa Barbara/Ventura Counties chapter. In her free time, she advises numerous local nonprofits on fundraising and governance issues and she is also a published freelance writer. A vegan and ardent supporter of animal rights causes, LeBlanc is the proud guardian of several rescued companion animals.

Kim Lowell
Kim Lowell retired to Santa Barbara from New York City in 2002 after more than three decades in advertising broadcast production. She has been a volunteer with K-9 PALS, the canine volunteer arm of the Santa Barbara County Animal Shelter, since 2002. In 2007, she and her husband, Dwight, founded Chrissie's Fund, a small foundation that supports spay/neuter programs, promotes adoptions and partners with organizations on specific efforts to eliminate the suffering of dogs.

Eliane Martin, President of ASAP
Eliane Martin's first introduction to ASAP was in 2003, when she brought in a stray kitten who had wandered into her backyard. One of the lead volunteers gave Martin a tour and explained ASAP's mission, and from there on, she was hooked. She joined the Board of Directors in 2004 and became the shelter's foster coordinator a few years later. In late 2008, Martin was elected vice president of the Board of Directors and recently, she became board president. During her years at ASAP, Martin says she has met incredibly generous and dedicated volunteers. She feels proud and privileged to call many of them her friends.

Julia Parker, Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network
As the Director of Animal Affairs for Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network and a former Santa Barbara Zoo employee for 25 years, Julia Parker has worked with an impressive range of animals. At the zoo, the species under her care included the African lion, Bengal tiger, puma, white-handed gibbon, lesser panda and giant anteater. She worked with Asian elephants and Barringo giraffes and raised many species by hand. Parker spent 10 years as animal care supervisor and later went on to work with the Island fox recovery program in the Channel Islands National. Working for the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network, she oversees the rehabilitation of injured wildlife, including songbirds, small mammals and seabirds. She is also on the Education Outreach Committee for the Wildlife Care Network and gives presentations to school and community groups.

Karen Perkins
Karen Perkins's love for dogs began at age two when her father rescued the family's first four-legged member, Kimo. Having served on the board of directors for D.A.W.G., Karen volunteers with Labrador rescues while serving on various animal rescue-related veterinary advisory committees. She has a background in hospital management and vet care (she works for a veterinary medical equipment company), and enjoys the post-operative and behavioral rehab stages of fostering dogs. Many know Karen best as mom of “Murpheee Bean Perkins.” Adopted from D.A.W.G., Murpheee worked as a therapy dog for Visiting Nurses Hospice Care and Cottage Hospital Pet Assisted Therapy. Together, Karen and Murpheee fostered and rehabilitated 16 dogs. After losing Murpheee to cancer in 2008, Karen vowed to honor Murpheee's impressionable life by continuing their important work. She owns Lillie, a rescued deaf—and mischievous—French Bulldog who refuses to be a therapy dog.

Dr. Christine Sellers, DVM
The owner of Cat & Bird Clinic, Dr. Christine Sellers completed her undergraduate degrees in Zoology and Nutrition as well as her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis in 1991. As there was no emphasis on avian medicine at U.C. Davis in 1991, Dr. Sellers designed her own Pet Bird Medical track. The Santa Barbara-native has been actively involved in avian medicine since 1983 and has owned and operated the Cat & Bird Clinic since 1992. Additionally, she serves on the board of directors for the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network and as chairman of the board for animal care at the Sansum Clinic.

Cliff Silber, Certified Dog Trainer
Owner of Dog Planet, trainer Cliff Silber has always been captivated by dogs. At eight years old, he took his first dog training class, and has since been hooked. Today he volunteers his time to train shelter dogs and bully breeds, and also teaches the Doggone Fun Camp for kids. Additionally, he specializes in training deaf dogs. Silber believes the easiest and most humane way to train a dog is to prevent him/her from learning bad habits, rewarding good behaviors and setting boundaries. He uses a combination of positive reinforcement and correction-based training. Furthermore, Silber believes that training the dog is as important as training the dog's handler, who has control over the dog. In this regard, he embraces dog behavioral psychology in his teaching techniques.

Jean Silva, Founder of B.U.N.S.
Jean Silva, together with husband Philip Seymour, was one of the original volunteers when Bunnies Urgently Needing Shelter, (B.U.N.S.) was formed in 1992. In addition to volunteering at the shelter, Jean serves on the board of B.U.N.S., and has at various times acted as volunteer coordinator, medical coordinator and education coordinator. She teaches Basic Bunny and Guinea Pig, a free animal-care class offered to adopters and the public. In addition, Jean and BUNS volunteer Andrea Bratt have taught clicker training for the House Rabbit Society in Richmond and San Diego as well as Best Friends in Utah, Nevada and Michigan. The two have been published in the House Rabbit Society Journal and featured in Sheltering and Especies magazines. Jean has also served on the board of DAWG. She retired as the Administrative Deputy Director of the Santa Barbara County Probation Department in 2009.

Dr. Scott Smith, DVM
Serving as C.A.R.E.4Paws' Medical Director, Dr. Scott Smith graduated from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 1989. He moved to Carpinteria with his wife Susan and their two children shortly thereafter and purchased the Animal Medical Clinic in 1991. While well versed in all aspects of small animal medicine, Dr. Smith has a special interest in surgery, with a growing interest in dentistry. For the past 20 years, the California native—a talented jazz saxophonist who studied music in Germany—has lent his surgical skills to a wide variety of organizations, performing low-cost spay and neuters for the Humane Society, Santa Barbara County, PAWS, ASAP, K-9 Pals, Catalyst for Cats, and various other rescue groups.