Welcome

ICARE of the Eastern Sierra (Inyo/Mono County Animal Resources and Education) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the welfare of companion animals. Our area of service is Inyo and Mono Counties in Central California, east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. We are committed to raising public awareness of companion animal welfare issues, including responsible pet ownership and the importance of spaying and neutering your pets to help end the pet overpopulation crisis.

Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Surgeries - The S/N Program provides financial assistance for pet owners in need to get their pets spayed/neutered. 

Stitch Fund - This special fund pays for veterinary care of ill and injured Inyo and Mono Counties Shelter animals. Both of these programs rely solely on the support of our kindhearted donors! 

Adoption - Finally, we encourage everyone to adopt their pets from their local animal shelters.

This is just a brief description of what ICARE does. To learn more, see our Programs section. If you want to help, donations are welcome. You may give through our Square link on this website or your gift can be mailed to: 

ICARE of the Eastern Sierra
1125 Pinewood Drive, Cambria, CA 93428 

Accomplishments

ICARE provided hundreds of volunteer hours and funded $35,000 in improvements to the old Inyo County Animal Shelter in Big Pine since 1997. We significantly increased the old shelter’s capacity, as well as improved living conditions for the animals by installing indoor and outdoor dog kennels and stainless steel cat kennels. But, that was then and this is NOW! The animal-loving community helped us raise an incredible $420,000 of the $800,000 Inyo County needed to build a new Animal Shelter and Pet Adoption Center, which opened in July 2015. 

In the past 29 years, ICARE has spent $785,000 on over 17,000 spay/neuter surgeries for cats and dogs in need. All from donations - ICARE receives no government funding and has no paid employees. This has prevented the birth of thousands of unwanted kittens and puppies. Consequently, Inyo County Shelter impounds (strays and owner turn-ins) have decreased 46% (1,164 in 1995 to 627 in 2025).

ICARE’s promotion of Inyo County Shelter animals for the past twenty years increased adoptions by 457% (from 82 in 1996 to 375 in 2025).

Most importantly, as a direct result of all of ICARE’s animal welfare programs, especially preventing the birth of thousands of unwanted kitties and puppies through our spay/neuter outreach, the number of cats and dogs euthanized at the Inyo County Animal Shelter has dropped an amazing 97% (from 1,784 in 1995 to 53 in 2024).

Our Team

One of the hallmarks of a successful organization is its ability to inspire trust and loyalty among, not only its members, but the people who serve as board members steering the mission. ICARE’s first meeting in the Fall of 1996 was attended by a small group of animal lovers that Inyo County had assembled to brainstorm fundraising ideas for improving living conditions at the Inyo County Animal Shelter in Big Pine. 

Our current board of directors consists of six long-time committed members and represents a combined 156 years of service. ICARE President, Ted Schade, and his wife and CEO, Lisa, have been board members for 30 years each, Vice President, Lynne Almeida, joined the board 27 years ago, with board members Theona Wasson having served 29 years, Karen Cudney 21 years and Rose Kuljerich 20 years. Both counties of the Eastern Sierra are represented by the board with one member residing in Mammoth Lakes and three others calling Bishop their home. 

Founding members, Ted and Lisa, currently live on the Central Coast and run the day-to-day operation of ICARE, including fielding calls for spay/neuter funding, from their home. After 30 years, the mission remains the same—to help Eastern Sierra pets in need.

The River Story

We’d like to tell you the River Story. It’s about a group of friends enjoying a picnic on a riverbank when, out of nowhere, the air is filled with the sound of frightened barking and meowing. They look up to see a puppy and a kitten floating helplessly down the river. Naturally, everyone jumps in the river to rescue the struggling pets, but, to their horror, they spot another kitten and puppy floating toward them. They hurry to save these two, but no sooner are those pulled to safety when they see yet another puppy and kitten. And still more appear; the river is full of them! Again and again, the people jump into the river, trying desperately to save the seemingly endless flow of drowning pets.

Suddenly, one of the group gets out of the river and begins running upstream. “Where are you going? We need to save these pets,” her friends shout. “I’m going to find out who’s throwing puppies and kittens into the river and make them STOP!” she yells as she sprints upstream.

The pet overpopulation problem is a lot like that. Animal shelters and rescue groups try valiantly to save the “animals in the river” by finding homes for as many as possible. But adoptions alone can never truly solve the problem. While adopting pets is incredibly important, the real and lasting solution is to stop them from being “thrown in the river” in the first place; i.e., prevent them from being born.

ICARE, like the woman in the story running upstream, realized early on we had to prevent the deluge of puppies and kittens born each year. That was the catalyst for our Spay/Neuter Program, which provides financial help with spay/neuter surgeries for the Eastern Sierra’s pets in need. Since 1997, ICARE is Inyo and Mono Counties’ original animal welfare nonprofit organization and has funded nearly 17,000 spay/neuter surgeries at a cost of $785,000—thanks to the kindness of our donors.

ICARE operates solely with a volunteer workforce, so your donations go directly to helping the cats and dogs of Inyo and Mono Counties. If you’d like to be part of the humane solution to the pet overpopulation challenge, please click on the “Donate” tab to learn more.