Our Story

Approach

CAMP’s comprehensive approach to animal welfare consists of four program areas:

• Affordable Spay and Neuter and Veterinary Community Medicine

• Low Cost Vaccine Clinics

• Community Outreach and Advocacy

• Veterinary Training to Support HQHVSN (High Quality High Volume Spay Neuter)

 

Over the past twenty years, high volume sterilization along with access to community animal medicine services has become the accepted response to reduce animal shelter intake and the needless euthanasia of healthy, adoptable pets. Prior to our launch, we collected and analyzed data from numerous sources to understand the problem and provide a practical solution. Our research showed the largest percentage of shelter impounds occur in areas where there is a high concentration of low-income residents. These areas, typically, have very limited access to affordable veterinary services, and the services that are present are inconsistent and limited in scope. This is where CAMP sees a tremendous opportunity to serve. By providing access to veterinary care in targeted, underserved neighborhoods, staffed by veterinary professionals with expertise and sensitivity, we can reach the goal of reducing shelter intake and eliminating euthanasia of healthy animals. We are meeting our key goals --in 2020 LA city shelters reached No Kill with a 90% save rate for cats and dogs.

 

History

The Community Animal Medicine Project was founded in 2007 under its previous corporate name, Clinico Inc. and then became the Spay Neuter Project of Los Angeles. Thanks to generous funding support from PetSmart Charities and the Found Animals Foundation, CAMP began providing low cost surgeries from a temporary location at the Southeast Area Animal Control Shelter. In May 2008, our first permanent clinic location opened in Pico Rivera. This success was soon followed by the launch of our San Pedro location in May 2009 and our Van Nuys location in July 2010. In September 2016, CAMP was gratified to relocate our Van Nuys clinic to Best Friends’ Pet Adoption and Spay/Neuter Center in Mission Hills and in 2018 we relocated our Pico Rivera clinic to the Best Friends Pet Resource Center in Los Angeles. In 2016, with generous funding from Best Friends Animal Society, CAMP launched our life-saving neonatal Kitten Nursery. Since 2016, this adorable program has directly saved over 6,000 kittens from euthanasia. In 2022, CAMP’s Kitten Nursery intake was approximately 800 neonatal kittens with a Live Release rate of 90%*.

 

Since 2007, CAMP has spayed and neutered over 300,000 cats and dogs. CAMP serves over 80,000 pets in need each year at our stationary and mobile veterinary and vaccine clinics — preventing millions of animals from being born into homelessness and helping to cut in half the number of pets being euthanized in LA city shelters. CAMP is about community – providing access to affordable veterinary services in underserved areas and helping to keep pets and their people together, where they belong.