ASPCA Opens Community Veterinary Clinic in Los Angeles, Providing Affordable Veterinary Care to Underserved Pet Owners

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 we’ve 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 Our Critical Work in Los Angeles

This new clinic is an expansion of the critical work we’ve been doing in Los Angeles for over a decade. Since 2014, we have 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. We 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.

We also operate our 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 our on-the-ground work, we’ve provided more than $16 million in grant funding to Los Angeles-based groups since 2008. Most recently, we 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.