COMMUNITY ANIMAL CARE [CAC]

Community Animal CARE [CAC] is an innovative Public Health centered program designed to prevent and solve persistent
Human and Animal related challenges. 
CAC will deliver critical resources to community members led by Proximate Leaders.
In particular, Access to Care 
and Prevention, Pet Behavioral Training, Pet Resources, Compliance Awareness, Lost and Found Pets,
and 
Involuntary Surrender Prevention.

Our Method For Change

Over Policing, Fining, and Citing communities does not solve resource challenges. Providing communities with the essential tools and resources they need keeps pets out of shelters and with the families they love.

CAC focuses heavily on keeping pets at home. To that end, the division’s In-Reach Team ensures communities of focus are aware of local ordinances to thwart seizures and fines, connected with local and online pet behaviorists, and supplied with disaster relief guides and resources.

Something to keep in mind:

The lack of veterinarians in the U.S. keeps demand for their services high, well out of reach for those who need them most. More than 135 Million Dogs and Cats live with people throughout the U.S. Still, less than 60 Thousand small animal veterinarians exist, equaling 1 veterinarian per every 2,200 pets. That equation does not account for pet birds, reptiles, and other companion pets. Even in the best scenario where veterinary care was more affordable, pets would continue to suffer, particularly those living within marginalized BIPOC communities, due to veterinarian shortages.

More about CAC

The communities we love and partner with are dramatically and willfully underserved, compelling CARE to create a comprehensive safety net, Community Animal Care [CAC]. CARE Center Proximate Leaders regularly do fantastic work for their communities. But, because they live in underserved communities, they often face insurmountable odds. CAC provides an opportunity for Proximate Leaders and communities to have a Human and Animal Well-Being support system capable of saving municipal dollars and relieving suffering for both people and animals.

Aside from physical wellness, CAC will focus heavily on keeping pets at home.
To that end, the division’s In-Reach Team will ensure communities of focus are aware of local ordinances to thwart seizures and fines, connected with local and online pet behaviorists, and supplied with disaster relief guides and resources. The In-Reach team will promote and support community-based fostering programs, adoption events, and re-homing.

 

COMMUNITY ANIMAL CARE COMPONENTS BELOW

Please note, CAC is currently in a pilot phase.
Please join our Newsletter for monthly updates.

Direct CARE Fund

  • Bring awareness to Direct CARE Funding
  • Local Fundraisers for Direct CARE
  • Partner with local Vets and Vet Techs to deliver
    Preventive Care and, when possible, affordable vet care.

Access to Preventive CARE & Emergent CARE
Using our Pet Census data, CARE’s In-Reach
and the veterinary team will provide the following
Preventive CARE resources:

  • Accessible Community-centered events
  • Accessible Resources & Materials
  • Free Online video resources
  • National Social Media Community for FAQ Pet Questions

Environmental Justice & Policy
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color [BIPOC] and their pets
are on the front-lines of Global Climate Change, Air Pollution,
and Rising Sea Levels. Millions are paying a price for policies
they have little control over. To that end, CARE is deploying
Environmental Justice and Policy strategies to support our
communities of focus.

In partnership with Proximate Leaders, the team will review and
analyze local ordinances, statutes, regulations, and policies that
could harm or benefit the community residents. When possible,
grassroots techniques will be used to encourage self-advocacy.

Emergency Response [Volunteer-Based]

  • Volunteers connect with local pet parents and Proximate
    Leaders using Community Pet Census Data.
  • Volunteers collect and manage emergency supplies in
    partnership with other local resource centers in Partnership
    with Proximate Leaders.
  • In partnership with local, state, regional, and national
    Emergency Response teams [Police/Fire/Community Service
    Agencies/Proximate Leaders], volunteers stay abreast
    of pending weather emergencies
  • Using a CAC App [to be designed], Emergency Response
    volunteers can send EMTs, FEMA, or others to specific
    addresses with permission from pet parents.
  • Ahead of any natural disaster, volunteers will
    deliver emergency supplies.

 

Fostering Assistance Network [FAN]

Foster Assistance Network (FAN) is an incentive foster program to lower the burden on foster families. FAN has the potential to provide much-needed relief to shelters and provide advice to fosters and pet parents, including behavioral training resources, affordable supplies, and low-cost veterinary partnerships

The network would assist in local re-homing and promoting adoption, fostering, and temporary fostering for people facing emergent housing challenges for their pets (domestic violence, natural disasters, etc.)

IN-Reach

  • Community Needs Assessment
  • Pet Census
  • Community Liaison
  • Resource Distribution and Guidance
  • Community Pet Advocacy
  • Compliance Awareness
  • Partner with resource centers to store
    food and pet medical supplies
  • Community-centered dog training: (including prison
    programs) Partner with local pet behavior experts to
    deliver low-cost free training advice to community
    members, such as tips on preventing dog bites and
    dog-on-dog attacks, free training resources via video
    demonstration

Community Compliance Program

  • Using In-Reach and Pet census data, make all
    efforts to become a trusted Partner with pet parents
  • Inform pet parents of local ordinances
    and assist with compliance
  • Work to remove out-of-date and unnecessarily punitive
    code provisions that disproportionately harm BIPOC
    communities and their pets

Identify Proximate Leaders
Engage and encourage potential CARE Center Leaders
If applicable, mentor/support proximate leaders

Event Hosting and Coordination
Host or Co-Host quarterly events with other community
partners. Attend and, if applicable, sponsor community events

COMMUNITY ANIMAL CARE STAFF
& ADVISORY BOARD

Community Animal CARE [CAC] is an innovative Public Health centered program designed to prevent and solve persistent Human and Animal related challenges. CAC programming only works when community trust is present. Our staff and the members of CAC’s advisory board have been doing the work to keep people and pets together for decades, and it shows.

COLLABORATORS

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BHM James Baldwin