Senior Veterinary Assistant

ASPCA(R) opens first Community Veterinary Clinic in Los Angeles, providing affordable veterinary care to underserved pet owners. The ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinic by Kathy Taggares will provide much-needed care to tens of thousands of South Bay-area pets each year July 30, 2026 LOS ANGELES, CA - July 29, 2026 - Today, the ASPCA(R)(The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals(R) hosted the grand opening of the ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinic by Kathy Taggares in Los Angeles, located in Carson. The new clinic will provide access to affordable veterinary services for tens of thousands of underserved pet owners in the South Bay area each year and improve the health and welfare of dogs and cats in the surrounding community. This clinic was made possible by Los Angeles resident and entrepreneur, spay/neuter advocate, and ASPCA supporter Kathy Taggares, who has generously committed $2.5 million to bring these vital services to Los Angeles pets who need them most. Taggares has supported the ASPCA's spay/neuter initiatives in Los Angeles since 2012, having donated more than $4.8 million to the ASPCA's lifesaving programs. The grand opening featured a brief ceremony where Matt Bershadker, ASPCA President and CEO, delivered welcome remarks to all guests and supporters in attendance, discussing the ASPCA's vision for affordable veterinary care and praising Taggares for her tremendous generosity. "Today is about much more than simply opening a new building. We're opening doors to opportunity, hope and healthier futures for animals and the people who love them," said Bershadker. "Kathy Taggares has always believed that meaningful change requires more than generosity, it requires investing in solutions that can create lasting impact. This clinic is a powerful example of that philosophy in action." Stephany Soto, ASPCA's Western Region Senior Director of Operations of Community Medicine, touched on her own journey into veterinary medicine, reminiscing on various pets she has shared her life with throughout the years, sharing that, "They were never 'just pets.' They were family, teachers and siblings, and the reason why I chose this career." She also spotlighted the organization's impact on communities across the country by stating, "I've seen firsthand how community medicine transforms the lives of pets and animals by removing barriers to care, meeting families where they are, and building trust through compassionate service...but this work did not begin with us in California. This clinic stands on the foundation built by our Community Veterinary Clinics in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Miami." Taggares, with gratitude and appreciation, shared, "Years ago, when I wanted to get involved with animal welfare, I knew I wanted to do something significant. I knew I needed to find an organization that I could really align with." She went on to share her utmost hopes for the new clinic, stating, "I have a dream that some day every animal, every cat, every dog, will find a loving home... we have a long way to go, but this clinic gets us one step closer." Following the opening remarks, former Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star and two-time World Series Champion Chris Taylor, along with his wife Mary, joined the esteemed group, including Bershadker, Taggares, Soto and ASPCA Chief Program Officer Bert Troughton, for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinic by Kathy Taggares in Los Angeles is the fifth clinic the ASPCA has opened in seven years, with the first clinic opening in Miami, followed by clinics in New York City's Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens boroughs. To date, the ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinics have collectively served more than 150,000 cats and dogs since 2019. These clinics make veterinary care more accessible and affordable, and the ASPCA continues to develop initiatives to serve the millions of pets living in poverty with their owners nationwide. The location of the new clinic was chosen because of the lack of affordable veterinary care in the surrounding area. The ASPCA estimates that more than 500,000 Los Angeles County cats and dogs are currently living with people in poverty who have little to no access to veterinary services. The ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinic by Kathy Taggares will offer free and affordable basic and preventive care to dogs and cats, including vaccinations, treatment for minor illnesses and injuries, and spay/neuter surgeries. The clinic will also provide care to homeless dogs and cats from local animal rescue organizations, including Carson Animal Care Center. The new ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinic by Kathy Taggares is located at 16300 S. Figueroa Street, Carson, CA, 90248, and is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Services are provided by appointment only. To receive services from the ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinic, pet owners must provide proof of public assistance and live in zip codes 90059, 90061, 90220, 90221, 90222, 90247, 90248, 90262, 90746, and 90747. Acceptable forms of public assistance include proof of residency in public housing, Supplemental Security Income, Disability/SSD, Medicaid, Welfare, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), SNAP, WIC, or Food and Nutrition Services. Pet owners interested in learning more about the ASPCA's new clinic should visit www.aspca.org/carson to confirm their eligibility. Since 2014, the ASPCA has been assisting pets and pet owners in Los Angeles through on-the-ground programs, including veterinary care, spay/neuter services, and a kitten foster and adoption program. The ASPCA Spay/Neuter Clinic in South Los Angeles has provided over 175,000 spay/neuter surgeries to pets, including providing more than 26,000 spay/neuter surgeries to shelter animals at Los Angeles City's Chesterfield Square Animal Services Center. The ASPCA also operates mobile spay/neuter and veterinary care clinics in under-resourced communities across Los Angeles. The ASPCA has safely transported more than 70,000 dogs and cats from Los Angeles-area shelters to other organizations for a better chance of adoption. The ASPCA operates its Los Angeles Kitten Foster Program out of the Los Angeles County Animal Care Centers, where ASPCA foster caregivers have helped over 15,000 cats and kittens find homes. In addition to its on-the-ground work, the ASPCA has provided more than $16 million in grant funding to Los Angeles-based groups since 2008. Most recently, the ASPCA announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Best Friends Animal Society to provide LA Animal Services with a $14 million funding and operational support initiative to strengthen and enhance services across the City's six animal shelters. With Council approval secured, this transformative, multi-year initiative will deliver immediate resources while building long-term, sustainable improvements for animals and the Los Angeles community. About the ASPCA(R) The ASPCA(R)(The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals(R) believes every animal deserves to live free from suffering. For 160 years, ASPCA has been on the frontlines to save, transform and protect millions of lives in the fight against animal cruelty. As the nation's first and leading animal welfare organization, ASPCA assist animals in need through on-the-ground disaster and cruelty interventions, behavioral rehabilitation, animal relocation and placement, legal and legislative advocacy, and the advancement of the sheltering and veterinary communities through research, training and resources. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation with more than 2 million supporters nationwide, its commitment to eliminating animal cruelty is unwavering. For more information, visit aspca.org, and follow the ASPCA on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok.

ASPCA opens Community Veterinary Clinic in Los Angeles, providing affordable veterinary care to underserved pet owners. July 30, 2026 On July 29, the ASPCA hosted the grand opening of the ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinic by Kathy Taggares in Los Angeles, located in Carson. The new clinic will provide access to affordable veterinary services for tens of thousands of underserved pet owners in the South Bay area each year and improve the health and welfare of dogs and cats in the surrounding community. This clinic was made possible by Los Angeles resident and entrepreneur, spay/neuter advocate and ASPCA supporter Kathy Taggares, who has generously committed $2.5 million to bring these vital services to Los Angeles pets who need them most. Taggares has supported the ASPCA's spay/neuter initiatives in Los Angeles since 2012, having donated more than $4.8 million to the ASPCA's lifesaving programs. The grand opening featured a brief ceremony where Matt Bershadker, ASPCA President and CEO, delivered welcome remarks to all guests and supporters in attendance, discussing the ASPCA's vision for affordable veterinary care and praising Taggares for her tremendous generosity. "Today is about much more than simply opening a new building. We're opening doors to opportunity, hope and healthier futures for animals and the people who love them," said Bershadker. "Kathy Taggares has always believed that meaningful change requires more than generosity, it requires investing in solutions that can create lasting impact. This clinic is a powerful example of that philosophy in action." Stephany Soto, ASPCA's Western Region Senior Director of Operations of Community Medicine, touched on her own journey into veterinary medicine, reminiscing on various pets she has shared her life with throughout the years, sharing that, "They were never 'just pets.' They were family, teachers and siblings, and the reason why I chose this career." She also spotlighted the organization's impact on communities across the country by stating, "I've seen firsthand how community medicine transforms the lives of pets and animals by removing barriers to care, meeting families where they are and building trust through compassionate service... but this work did not begin with us in California. This clinic stands on the foundation built by our Community Veterinary Clinics in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Miami." Taggares, with gratitude and appreciation, shared, "Years ago, when I wanted to get involved with animal welfare, I knew I wanted to do something significant. I knew I needed to find an organization that I could really align with." She went on to share her utmost hopes for the new clinic, stating, "I have a dream that someday every animal, every cat, every dog, will find a loving home... we have a long way to go, but this clinic gets us one step closer." Following the opening remarks, former Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star and two-time World Series Champion Chris Taylor, along with his wife Mary, joined the esteemed group, including Bershadker, Taggares, Soto and ASPCA Chief Program Officer Bert Troughton, for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinic by Kathy Taggares in Los Angeles is the fifth clinic ASPCA has opened in seven years, with the first clinic opening in Miami, followed by clinics in New York City's Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens boroughs. To date, the ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinics have collectively served more than 150,000 cats and dogs since 2019. These clinics make veterinary care more accessible and affordable, and the ASPCA continues to develop initiatives to serve the millions of pets living in poverty with their owners nationwide. The location of the new clinic was chosen because of the lack of affordable veterinary care in the surrounding area. The ASPCA estimates that more than 500,000 Los Angeles County cats and dogs are currently living with people in poverty who have little to no access to veterinary services. The ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinic by Kathy Taggares will offer free and affordable basic and preventive care to dogs and cats, including vaccinations, treatment for minor illnesses and injuries, and spay/neuter surgeries. The clinic will also provide care to homeless dogs and cats from local animal rescue organizations, including Carson Animal Care Center. Pet owners interested in learning more about the ASPCA's new clinic should visit www.aspca.org/carson to confirm their eligibility. Expanding its critical work in Los Angeles. This new clinic is an expansion of the critical work ASPCA has been doing in Los Angeles for over a decade. Since 2014, ASPCA has been assisting pets and pet owners in Los Angeles through on-the-ground programs, including veterinary care, spay/neuter services, and a kitten foster and adoption program. The ASPCA Spay/Neuter Clinic in South Los Angeles has provided over 175,000 spay/neuter surgeries to pets, including providing more than 26,000 spay/neuter surgeries to shelter animals at Los Angeles City's Chesterfield Square Animal Services Center. ASPCA also operate mobile spay/neuter and veterinary care clinics in under-resourced communities across Los Angeles and have safely transported more than 70,000 dogs and cats from Los Angeles-area shelters to other organizations for a better chance of adoption. ASPCA also operate its Los Angeles Kitten Foster Program out of the Los Angeles County Animal Care Centers, where ASPCA foster caregivers have helped over 15,000 cats and kittens find homes. In addition to its on-the-ground work, ASPCA has provided more than $16 million in grant funding to Los Angeles-based groups since 2008. Most recently, ASPCA announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Best Friends Animal Society to provide LA Animal Services with a $14 million funding and operational support initiative to strengthen and enhance services across the City's six animal shelters. With Council approval secured, this transformative, multi-year initiative will deliver immediate resources while building long-term, sustainable improvements for animals and the Los Angeles community.

Second Chance Animal Services receives $150,000 grant from ASPCA. EAST BROOKFIELD - Second Chance Animal Services has been awarded a $150,000 grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) to support the purchase of a new community support vehicle, a mobile veterinary unit that will expand access to care for pets and families who may otherwise face barriers to receiving veterinary services. The grant will help Second Chance Animal Services fund this important capacity-building initiative, allowing veterinary teams to bring preventive and basic veterinary care directly into more communities, assisting pet owners, and supporting programs that help keep pets healthy, at home, and out of shelters. The mobile veterinary unit will extend the reach of Second Chance's community programs, serving pets and families across the region. "Access to veterinary care should never depend on a family's ability to travel or overcome transportation barriers," said Sheryl Blancato, CEO of Second Chance Animal Services. "We are incredibly grateful to the ASPCA for this generous investment. This community support vehicle will allow us to provide basic veterinary care on the road and connect pets needing more advanced treatment to our hospitals. Together, these services help keep pets healthy, with the families who love them, and out of shelters." For more than 16 years, Second Chance Animal Services has been meeting pets and families where they are through community outreach programs designed to remove barriers to veterinary care. The new mobile veterinary unit will build upon those efforts by tripling the capacity to bring clinics directly into underserved neighborhoods, assisting pet owners who may not be able to travel to veterinary hospitals, and supporting community-based programs that help prevent unnecessary pet surrender. "Lack of access to affordable veterinary care is among the top reasons families are forced to make the heartbreaking decision to relinquish their pet to a shelter," said Karen Walsh, ASPCA's vice president of Animal Relocation. "The ASPCA is honored to provide Second Chance Animal Services with grant funding for a new mobile veterinary vehicle to expand their lifesaving work providing critical veterinary care to the community and helping to keep animals healthy and in loving homes." The vehicle will be on the road at low-cost vaccine clinics across the state. In addition, it will be instrumental in the nonprofit's Homebound to the Rescue program which brings veterinary care at low or no cost to senior and low-income communities. By intervening early and providing resources before a crisis occurs, the organization can help keep pets healthy and safely in their homes. The need for these services is evident in stories like those of seniors and individuals with disabilities who deeply love their pets but struggle to care for them. Through its community programs, Second Chance has helped pet owners access veterinary services that allowed them to keep beloved companions by their side. The new community support vehicle will make it possible to reach even more families with the support they need before difficult circumstances force them to consider surrendering a pet.