C.A.R.E. was founded in 2000 by Dr. Hal Ott, D.V.M. and a group of local citizens concerned about the high number of healthy animals being euthanized each year in Hillsborough County. With a mission of rescuing, rehabilitating and adopting stray and owner relinquished animals C.A.R.E. opened a small, 3 acre shelter in Ruskin in 2001. In 2003, a discount spay-neuter clinic was added to help the animals of low income residents in the South Shore area and to further reduce the number of homeless pets. Over the ensuing years C.A.R.E. has added an Intensive Care Unit for newly arrived cats, a large new cat facility and a small breed dog addition to allow the smaller dogs to be separated from the larger dogs.

C.A.R.E. is restricted in having the ability to house and care for a limited number of animals awaiting adoption because of our relatively small size, our no-kill mission and our limited resources. We can currently house between 15-20 dogs (depending on sizes) and 25-35 cats. Our adoptable dogs are outside all day in their kennels or in 3 large exercise yards and are put in their inside kennels at night. Our adoptable cats are in one of three large open bay rooms in our cat facility. They are separated by age, may roam freely in their rooms and they all have free access to separate screen porches.