Tehama - The Magazine

24 TEHAMA - THE MAGAZINE, May 2017 P.E.T.S. By Ronnie Casey Sometimes all it takes is a few individuals who have a common desire to make life a bit better for those in need. Such was the start of the P.E.T.S. organization. During the fall of 2010, little did anyone realize that a brief trip to an animal sanctuary by a previous manager of the Tehama County Animal Care Center and Sharon Russell would start a ripple of compassion which, to this day, expands ever outward. In early December of that same year, Sharon asked two others to join her in her vision of a better tomorrow for helpless animals. This small gathering of friends, with few resources and even less community support, set out to improve the lives of the overwhelming number of creatures entering the shelter. With gritty resolve this core group sought out other like- minded volunteers and, by February 2011, they had formed a Board of Directors, wrote Articles of Incorporation and obtained 501(c)3 tax- exempt status. The P.E.T.S. (Providing Essentials for Tehama Shelter) organization was now ready and determined to focus its efforts on helping animals. The original primary goal of P.E.T.S. was to assist the underfunded public Tehama County Animal Care Center (TCACC) in providing responsible and compassionate care to all animals housed within its facility. To this day, P.E.T.S. continues to strive to fulfill its initial mission to improve the welfare of animals in the shelter, to aid in the medical care for the many injured and ailing animals that arrive at TCACC and to purchase equipment and supplies that the limited county budget cannot afford. In 2016, 467 animals traveled the highways, thanks to P.E.T.S. volunteers utilizing their own vehicles. Often without concern for reimbursement, these caring individuals transported animals from TCACC to collaborative rescues throughout California and other states, in order that there would be increased opportunities for adoption. In addition, they drove with unfailing regularity

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