Across California, shelters and communities are faced with unprecedented challenges to accessing essential veterinary care that helps ensure pets spend fewer nights waiting in shelters and more time happy at home. Since its launch in February 2022, California for All Animals has awarded $16.5 million in funding for spay/neuter services and $20 million for programs and services that keep pets and people together. In Kern County, grantees, partner organizations, and community members have joined forces to ensure spay/neuter surgery and vaccinations are available to communities who face the most barriers to accessing the care they need for their pets.  

The Kern S.A.F.E. coalition is marking one year in operation this month and includes Almost Eden Rescue, City of Bakersfield Animal Care Center, Emm and Mal’s Animal Sanctuary, Kern County Animal Services, Marley’s Mutts, SOS Dog Rescue, Unity K9 Express Rescue and Outreach, and SNIP Spay and Neuter, a mobile medical unit that provides low-cost sterilization at many of the coalition’s community clinics. The coalition also partners with local human services organizations such as Children’s First.  

By connecting pet guardians with spay/neuter, vaccinations, microchips, and other resources via door-to-door canvassing and joint community events, they hope to reverse the trend of healthy animals euthanized in shelters. 

At recent November events alone, the coalition completed 110 adoptions, 183 sterilizations, and over 600 vaccinations, and raised $3,000 in pet food pantry donations.  

“This is a powerful example of how animal shelters can partner with community members and other organizations to make sure pets and people have what they need,” California State Director Allison Cardona said. “We hope this program serves as a model for other communities.” 

To read more about Kern S.A.F.E.’s efforts and progress, explore this interactive story at CaliforniaForAllAnimals.com: A Fresh Take on Familiar Challenges: How Kern County Residents Are Keeping Animals Safe in Community (https://tinyurl.com/kerncoalition).  

California for All Animals is a five-year, state-funded initiative launched in 2022 in service of California’s dedication to ending euthanasia of healthy and treatable animals in shelters and creating communities where all pets and their people, no matter where they call home, have access to the resources, relationships, and opportunities they need to thrive. Administered by the Koret Shelter Medicine Program (KSMP) at the UC Davis Center for Companion Animal Health, the initiative reflects the KSMP’s commitment to doing whatever it takes to make shelter medicine happen. 

The California for All Animals team allocated $37.5 million in grants and $12.5 million for staffing, training, convenings, technical assistance and support. As of October 2024, the $37.5 million in grant funding has been fully awarded to eligible California animal shelters. In the remaining two years of the California for All Animals program, the team will continue to partner with animal shelters to provide support, training, and resources.