About a year ago, C.A.R.E.4Paws was offering its services to a shelter for the unhoused, when a woman staying at the shelter asked for help to take care of her dog who had become pregnant, and would eventually have 10 puppies.
The woman wasn’t in a state to be able to care for either the puppies or the mom, so C.A.R.E.4Paws took them in to ensure they had proper treatment and went to good homes. This is when Isabelle Gullo, C.A.R.E.4Paws executive director and co-founder, came up with the idea of the Pet Refuge.
The goal: to provide temporary shelter for pets and reunite them with their owners once they are settled in a comfortable living situation.
“We just have seen a huge need for somewhere that we can instantaneously provide safe, confidential boarding for pets right away and not have that lag time or scramble trying to find available fosters,” Julia Black, C.A.R.E.4Paws marketing and Safe Haven manager said.
Pet Refuge aims to offer immediate boarding opportunities for pet families in order to try to eliminate the need for individuals in tough situations from having to put pets in the shelter. The dog portion of the facility will contain 10 dog kennels and a large covered play yard for the dogs.
As of Oct. 10, the nonprofit had raised $105,000 out of the $175,000 needed for the kennel structure. And it recently received a $20,000 donation that will go toward building the play yard, according to Gullo.
C.A.R.E.4Paws launched its Safe Haven program in 2020 in partnership with Domestic Violence Solutions in Santa Barbara County to provide support and resources to victims and their pets. The Pet Refuge aims to be an extension of that program and a temporary boarding facility for pets of victims of domestic violence.
Advocates for Domestic Violence Solutions in Santa Barbara County reach out to C.A.R.E.4Paws when they are in need of fostering, pet supplies, vet care, or dog training, according to Black.
C.A.R.E.4Paws recently had its first collaboration with Lumina Alliance, which provides support for victims of domestic violence and intimate partner assault in San Luis Obispo County, and will continue offering support, according to Black.
The refuge should be open early 2026, according to Black. As for the location of the facility, it will remain confidential to protect the pets and their families.
Whether families are struggling financially or experiencing domestic violence, possible deportations, temporary homelessness, loss due to a wildfire, etc., C.A.R.E.4Paws employees want to relieve pet owners of any stress when deciding what to do with their animal.
Once the pets are back in the care of their family, C.A.R.E.4Paws offers dog training services to help the animal reacclimate into the home.
For more than 15 years, C.A.R.E.4Paws has served pet owners in Santa Barbara County with the intention of providing resources for pet owners during significant life crises. C.A.R.E.4Paws started offering their mobile clinic services around SLO County in 2022. The clinic travels directly to low-income communities to offer affordable veterinary care like spays-neuters, medical exams, dental care, bloodwork, and more.
“We keep evolving, year to year, to always do our best to meet the community needs,” Gullo said.
C.A.R.E.4Paws often gets requests from surrounding counties, like Bakersfield and the Los Angeles area, inquiring if the nonprofit would ever be able to provide services in their area.
“If we get a request from someone who’s out of our area, if we’re not able to help them, we’ll try to provide them [with] all the resources we can in their area,” Black said.
Reach New Times intern Bella Cox, from the Sun’s sister paper, at ntintern@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Oct 23 – Oct 30, 2025.