The History
With respect to animal health, our focus is on the promotion of:
- Preventive measures of disease control through outreach services & public policy
- Appropriate reserach design & reporting of results for more valuable contributions to veterinary and animal health knowledge
- Distribution of information at both technical and lay levels
- Responsible animal ownership and the increased understanding of animal health through educational programs
- Increase veterinary participation & visibility in our communities.
We also feel that animals fill a special need for people, so by helping animals, we help people, too. In our observation, the vast majority of people truly care about their animals and many cases of "animal abuse" are simply due to lack of information and education. Therefore, in support of the human-animal bond, we strive to educate people on proper interactions and care of their animals which will be beneficial to both the animals and their owners.
California Education Through Animals Foundation (CETA) was established in 2007 as the non-profit arm of Veterinary Outreach and is the main focus of Dr. Chan's efforts. She has developed several programs that meet the needs of unfilled niches in the region (Sacramento/Solano/Yolo counties):
Teaching how to successfully incorporate animals into family life through sales and adoption of parrots, horses, homeless animals and laying hens.
Retraining or healing homeless animals for placement in "forever homes"
Teaching unique ways of interacting with animals that are rewarding, fun and empowering through ranch tours, "tag-alongs," and lessons.
Providing healing and therapeutics using animal interactions to promote the well-being of children and adults.
Establishing a mobile low-cost spay/neuter service in the Yolo and Solano Counties to reduce the number of animals euthanized at local shelters. This service will also be available to pot-bellied pig owners who find it difficult to find veterinarians who treat pigs.
These efforts are in different stages of development as Dr. Chan builds a volunteer base and support from local organizations. She earns money as a veterinarian to support the ranch and CETA programs while providing the physical labor required to maintain the ranch. This leaves little time to manage volunteers and promote CETA programs. She is seeking donations to cover expenses to accelerate the progress toward building a self-sustaining organization. Low-cost spay/neuter and veterinary service and income from ranch tours and lessons will eventually bring in enough revenue for expenses. The ultimate goal is a paid staff and stand-alone sustainable program.
Visitors to Phoenix Ranch get a glimpse into rural life a stone's throw from one of the most urbanized areas of Northern California. The horses thrive in their herd setting where natural equine behavior and communication can be observed. They interact easily with visitors, perform simple tricks and enjoy human attention. Five horses have been trained Amish-style and can be driven in city traffic for in our youth programs. The miniature cattle give visitors a chance to experience milking and bovine animals.
Our bottle-raised ewe, Beatrice, follows guests on their tours. We also have a small flock of Jacob and Shetland sheep in the pasture that come in on their own at night. They are the stars of our annual sheep-shearing event, where visitors watch a demonstration of professional shearing and learn about the sheep and wool industry in California. Judd Redden, President of the North Bay Wool Growers Association, doing our shearing for the 6th year in 2010.
Our parrot collection consists of African Greys, Jardines, Cockatoos and Cockatiels. An elevated walk-in flight cage has been built to allow visitors to mingle with the birds. We raise hand-fed baby Jardines, Greys and Cockatiels, which are sold as family pets.
Two pot-bellied pigs, Hampton and Miss Piggles, live in the barn but often roam the grounds in their endless search for food. They mingle with dogs of all sizesand a bunny named Sugar. Sugar makes her appearance at all hours of the day and night, running amongst the horses, patting you on the leg, snuggling up to the pigs...
Our free-range chickens roam the yard and barns clearing out the bugs and leaving nests of eggs.
A healthy population of ladybugs, toads, Western Fence Lizards, hawks, voles, ground squirrels and migratory birds share the ranch in our largely pesticide-free environment.
