KARNA HUGHES, NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
October 7, 2009 9:46 AM When Isabelle Gullö Abitia was growing up in Sweden, her mother made her a deal. She could have a dog, so long as she was responsible for it. "I was a little troublemaker," the longtime Goleta resident recalled. "I'd always wanted a dog, and my mom said, 'Hey, if you shape up, you can have a dog.' " The result: The 10-year-old came up with half the money to pay for her first canine, an Irish setter named Fancy, and learned about caring for a pet from a young age. "For me, that was an important lesson to learn early on. 'This is my dog. I have to take care of it, even when I'd rather play with my friends or do other things.' " Now 36 -- and the proud owner of five pooches (mostly rescues who've been fixed) -- Mrs. Gullö Abitia is hoping to spread the message of responsible pet ownership to adults and children alike through C.A.R.E.4Paws (Community Awareness, Responsibility, Education), a nonprofit organization. Joining her as co-founder is husband Carlos Abitia, 37, who ran a veterinary clinic in Mexico before coming to the States in late 2001. He currently works as a vet technician at La Cumbre Animal Hospital. (Romance blossomed between the two when she took her dogs in for treatment.) Though launched in March, C.A.R.E.4Paws hosted its first big event, the inaugural Wags n' Whiskers Festival, last month at Tucker's Grove Park, which brought together area animal groups and resulted in 20 pet adoptions. With about 15 volunteers and a board of directors, the nonprofit recently began introducing new programs to promote responsible pet ownership and animal welfare throughout Santa Barbara County. The group is still primarily being funded out-of-pocket by the Abitias, who continues to work full-time at other jobs while running the nonprofit in their off hours. BEGINNINGS A freelance journalist and photographer, Mrs. Gullö Abitia got the idea for the nonprofit while volunteering for K-9 Pals at the Santa Barbara County Animal Shelter. She's been a volunteer for about four years and continues to help out twice a week. "During my first couple years as a shelter volunteer . . . I saw that more dogs kept coming into the shelter and they stayed longer," she told the News-Press during a recent visit to her Refugio Canyon home. "One day, I thought, 'There's got to be a way to prevent them from coming there in the first place. I could either spend all my time there, taking care of the dogs that are there or (I could) do something about them being given up in the first place.' " Her experience is borne out by the numbers: According to Jan Glick, animal services director for the county of Santa Barbara, dog intakes at local shelters have gone up by 16 percent and cat intakes are up 17 percent since the 2003-2004 fiscal year. In 2008-2009 that meant the difference of an additional 644 dogs and 529 cats. What's causing the rise? "Whenever we see animals coming into the shelter, there's some aspect that indicates irresponsible pet ownership," Ms. Glick said. "And the other thing would be the economic times we're in. Some people are unable to maintain their pets because of the economy." First, the nonprofit is attempting to address the problem at its source -- overpopulation -- by co-sponsoring free spay-and-neuter clinics with Buellton Veterinary Clinic. Some 25 dogs, as well as tame and feral cats, were spayed and neutered during the first clinic Sept. 17 by Buellton's head veterinarian Tina Taylor and a team of volunteers. While the clinic is aimed primarily at low-income clients, C.A.R.E.4Paws encourages animal shelters and rescue groups to bring pets to be fixed, so that they can save the money to spend elsewhere. "Ultimately, we'd like to see that money going back into education," Mrs. Gullö Abitia said, as Eddies, a Chihuahua mix, and Nano, a Chihuahua puppy, tussled with a rope on the floor. The group hopes to make the clinics a monthly offering and eventually expand the program to other parts of the county. Next, the nonprofit is offering free training workshops with local animal behaviorists to help dog owners struggling with obedience issues that make them more likely to dump their pets at a pound. "Not everyone can afford what a dog training class will cost per hour -- the $65 or more it takes," said Mrs. Gullö Abitia. With their pets by their side, participants learn about common dog behaviors and needs, dog socialization, basic animal care and how to integrate a dog into family life. And working closely together helps foster the human-dog bond, which also can prevent people from giving up their animals. PROJECT RESPONSIBULL Pit bulls (which include American pit bull terriers and mixed breeds) often turn up at shelters in greater numbers because they're the most frequently bred dog in the United States and are misunderstood as a breed, according to Mrs. Gullö Abitia. "Pit bulls are euthanized more often than other dogs (in the United States) and they stay longer in the system than other dogs," she said. To combat stereotypes of pit bulls as aggressive attack dogs and lower their rate of abandonment, C.A.R.E.4Paws has initiated a separate program called Project ResponsiBULL. Aimed at pit bull owners, it provides free spaying and neutering, free obedience classes tailored to the needs of pit bulls and a separate pit bull education class. "Our goal with this class is to create many, many pit bull ambassadors to improve the reputation of the breed as a whole," said Mrs. Gullö Abitia. The first sessions, held last month in the evenings at Camp Canine, drew 10 participants, including Mrs. Gullö Abitia, who brought her pit bull, Casper. They featured trainer Cliff Silber of Dog Planet, based in Goleta, and Jill Anderson of Shadow's Fund, a Lompoc rescue group for senior dogs. EDUCATION Growing up in Guadalajara with two younger brothers, Mr. Abitia's family had a soft spot for animals. "My house was a zoo," the vet technician said with a chuckle by phone during a lunch break. "You name it, we had horses, goats and chickens and pigs. Five or six dogs and cats. Turtles, fish, gophers." Being from Mexico, he realizes there's a "huge cultural difference" in how people from the two countries look at pet ownership and handle problems like overpopulation. Providing greater access to information and services, such as licensing, micro-chipping, spaying and neutering and more, to all populations is key, he said. Part of their outreach efforts include distributing bilingual materials and making announcements on Spanish radio stations and TV stations. "I really believe if people have the knowledge, they'll make the right decisions," Mr. Abitia said. "I think people just don't know what options are available. They just don't know how to take care of their animals." But the Abitias feel the way to increase awareness even more is to reach the next generation. Starting in November, C.A.R.E.4Paws will begin visiting local elementary schools across the county. Volunteers will make Pawsitive Thinking presentations at assemblies on topics including basic animal care and responsibility, pet traits and behavior, and more. "We feel that the way to change the future for animals is to reach kids and change kids' perception," said Mrs. Gullö Abitia, who's writing the curriculum. "And then kids will teach their parents, and as they become adults themselves, they will have a greater awareness of what responsible pet ownership and animal welfare really is." e-mail: khughes@newspress.com IF YOU GO C.A.R.E.4Paws will host an all-breed dog training starting Monday at Camp Canine, 803 E. Montecito St. Classes will be held over four weeks and run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The next Project ResponsiBull for pit bull owners begins Oct. 14 at Camp Canine. Classes will be held from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. over three weeks. The next spay-and-neuter clinic will be held Oct. 18 at Buellton Veterinary Clinic, 914 W. Highway 246 in Buellton. Those interested in participating must call 968-CARE (2273) to schedule an appointment. Pit bull owners can schedule an individual appointment if that day isn't convenient. And keep an eye out for an announcement about the nonprofit's first fundraiser. While details are being hashed out, it will be held Feb. 13. To sign up for classes, make a donation or find out more, call 968-CARE (2273), e-mail info@care4paws.org or go to www.care4paws.org. All programs and the clinic are free. Information about adoptable animals, basic animal care, links to local resources and more also is available on the Website |
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