ABOUT FOWAS
Friends Of Watsonville Animal Shelter
FOWAS (Friends Of Watsonville Animal Shelter) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the animals in Santa Cruz County. FOWAS is staffed only with unpaid volunteers, and relies on donations to provide the following services:
contibuting significantly to the low-cost spay and neutering of dogs, cats and rabbits since 2004, including creating a clinic for this purpose in 2013 (read about our low-cost spay and neuter program)
providing supplies (such as blankets, toys, etc.) to ensure that animals at the Shelter are as comfortable as possible (read about the creature comforts program)
helping adoptable animals that need more medical care than Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter can afford (read about the second chance program)
educating the public about animal care and spay/neuter
The FOWAS Board
Shannon Henderson, RVT, Board Member / President / Clinic Manager
Lizza Cuevas, Board Member / Secretary
Mari Rodriguez, Board Member / Social Media
Dr. Dana Gleason, DVM, Board Member
From left: Kim Austin, Mari Rodriguez, Lizza Cuevas, Shannon Henderson, Carol Davidson
2002
FOWAS was founded.
2013
FOWAS established a clinic in Watsonville to provide low-cost spay and neuter services for dogs, cats and rabbits within Santa Cruz County.
2018
Our clinic's charter was changed to provide low cost spay and neuter to all of the Pajaro Valley, which includes northern Monterey County. In this arrangement, FOWAS subsidizes the clinic to keep the spay and neuter costs down.
2002-present
FOWAS has provided thousands of low-cost or free spay and neuter services for dogs, cats and rabbits in the Watsonville area. In recent years, FOWAS and Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter have co-sponsored the "Healthy Dogs Shots Fair in Watsonville. In addition, FOWAS helps abandoned animals in need of medical help and donates supplies to the Watsonville animal shelter.
FOWAS relies on donations to keep the clinic open long term.
In Memorium - Wilma Jane (Baker) George 1928 - 2020
Wilma Jane (Baker) George, age 92 years, passed away at her home in Corralitos in the early morning hours of July 12, 2020. Wilma was the inspiration for FOWAS and was also one of the founding members. She will be missed by all.
Wilma (center) is shown here with her daughter, Shannon Henderson and Kim Austin.
Our Mission
FOWAS improves the well-being of the community’s dogs, cats, and rabbits by
+ subsidizing vaccinations and spay/neutering services for pets
+ educating the public about animal care and spay/neuter
+ helping adoptable animals that need more medical care than Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter can afford
+ providing supplies (such as blankets, toys, etc.) to ensure that animals at the Shelter are as comfortable as possible
In providing these services, our goals are to reduce the number of ownerless pets, and to aid families in becoming successful pet owners.
If you have any questions or would like to find out how you can help, please contact us.