HONORING SBCAS PARTNERS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Source: Santa Barbara County Public Health Department

On Tuesday, December 7, 2021 the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors will honor nine local nonprofit organizations that partner with Santa Barbara County Animal Services (SBCAS). During the COVID-19 pandemic, these extraordinary partnerships resulted the highest level of life-saving support for companion animals, access to affordable spay/neuter and veterinary care, sheltering and adoption services, and safety net support to keep animals with their families.

While many businesses and organizations experienced reduced demand for services during the pandemic, animal shelters and welfare organizations experienced a drastic increase in the need for their services and programs. From supporting pet owners through housing or pet food insecurity to providing low cost or free veterinary care, from sheltering and adoption services to behavior training, there was not a single day during the pandemic when SBCAS and their partners were not hard at work.

According to Angela Yates, Director of Santa Barbara County Animal Services, “Alone, none of our organizations could provide all the services needed for animals in our county, especially during the pandemic. We are incredibly grateful for these dedicated partner organizations, who are collectively making it possible for more community members to keep their beloved animals, and sheltering and critical care when they cannot.”

In a resolution jointly sponsored by Supervisor Joan Hartmann and Supervisor Gregg Hart, the Board of Supervisors will recognize ASAP Cats, BUNS, CAPA, C.A.R.E.4Paws, K-9 PALS, Santa Barbara County Animal Care Foundation, Santa Barbara Humane, Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society/DAWG, and Shadow’s Fund for their partnership with Santa Barbara County Animal Services during the COVID-19 Pandemic, and their dedication to saving and improving the lives of Santa Barbara County’s companion animals. 

“Our community is very fortunate to have the support of so many dedicated organizations working together to support the health and wellbeing of our companion animals. These organizations have gone above and beyond during the pandemic to ensure families and individuals were able to keep their beloved pets at home and find new homes for so many companion animals,” said Supervisor Gregg Hart.

Supervisor Joan Hartmann added, “The COVID Pandemic has been hard on everyone so Santa Barbara nonprofits have really stepped up. That has been especially true for those organizations working with our nonhuman companions.  We have a far better system of care because of their heroic efforts pre- and post-COVID. It is wonderful to have this opportunity to officially recognize their major contributions to families throughout our County.”

For more information about SBCAS services and programs, visit: countyofsb.org/phd/animal/home.sbc 

For more information about ASAP Cats, visit: asapcats.org/

For more information about BUNS, visit: bunssb.org/

For more information about CAPA, visit: lompoccapa.org/

For more information about C.A.R.E.4Paws, visit: care4paws.org/

For more information about K-9 PALS, visit: k-9pals.org/

For more information about Santa Barbara County Animal Care Foundation, visit: sbcanimalcare.org/

For more information about Santa Barbara Humane, visit: sbhumane.org/

For more information about Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society & DAWG, visit: syvhumane.org/

For more information about Shadow’s Fund, visit: shadowsfund.org/