C.A.R.L. announces new board, kicks off year-end giving season

Santa Paula, CA – The season of giving has officially begun at Canine Adoption and Rescue League (C.A.R.L.). Last week, the charity hosted its third annual “Pupsgiving,” whereby C.A.R.L. supporters donated $25 each for a Thanksgiving meal for the non-profit’s 50-plus dogs currently available for adoption at its Santa Paula-based sanctuary.

Canines housed at C.A.R.L. had a healthy heaping of turkey, mashed potatoes and carrots with peas, which the new Governance Board members at C.A.R.L. personally delivered to each dog.

The event brought in over $1,500, which will go toward the organization’s medical bills. Governance board members, Claudia Hoste, President; Lupe Flores, Vice President; Grace Cunningham, Secretary; Francisca Calderon Carrillo, Treasurer, along with Executive Director Sharon Clark, plan to build on the work C.A.R.L. has achieved over the past 25-plus years.

“We want to do more,” Hoste said. “Right now, we are focusing more on fundraising, and new programs and partnerships, so we can rescue and adopt out more dogs to loving families in Ventura County and beyond.”

Now through the end of December, an anonymous donor is offering to match up to $30,000 in donations to C.A.R.L. for its December Holiday Appeal.

“The generosity of this person will allow us to not only pay medical bills but also improve the dogs’ kennels and surrounding grounds, so they continue to receive the necessary comfort and care through their daily interactions with volunteers and staff,” said Flores.

“We want to create an even more enriching environment for the dogs, so they are ready to move into their forever homes,” Hoste said. Hoste added she wants to collaborate with the Board, Clark and members of the C.A.R.L. Operations Council, who do much of the day-to-day activities in promoting the rescue. “We want to serve as a national example of how an animal welfare rescue should be run.”

C.A.R.L. receives funding primarily through individual donations, its Thrift Store in Downtown Ventura and main fundraiser, The Pooch Parade, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in August. Qualified donors can also use charitable IRA Rollovers to make a year-end gift to C.A.R.L. and receive a tax break when they make a direct transfer to C.A.R.L.

About the Pooch Parade, Hoste added that the 2026 parade has moved from Ventura Harbor Village to ‘olołkoy Beach Park in Oxnard, which will allow for more space.

“It will give us three times the space where we previously held the Pooch Parade,” Hoste said. “We can host more vendors, offer food and beverages. As I said, we can do more for the dogs.”

About C.A.R.L.

Canine Adoption and Rescue League (C.A.R.L.) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit all breed, no-kill dog rescue and adoption organization. Since 1996, C.A.R.L. has rescued and placed thousands of unwanted, sick, abandoned and homeless dogs. Dogs in our adoption program are placed in pre-screened, loving and secure homes. We make a lifetime commitment to all of our dogs.