Seattle Humane staff work tirelessly every day to provide critical resources to pet owners in need of financial and programmatic assistance that helps them keep their pets happy and healthy at home, preventing hundreds of animals from entering the shelter system every year. The demand for these resources grew exponentially at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and our team continues to receive a high volume of these requests for assistance every day.
Our Community Medicine program provides quality veterinary care for pets and families in need of assistance through Seattle Humane’s new Wellness Clinic. We could not have made the sizable impact we did for so many pets and the people who love them in 2020 without the generous support of PetSmart Charities, which provided us with a $50,000 grant to expand access to affordable veterinary services.
“Seattle Humane has a goal of enhancing animal and public health through our Wellness Clinic, by subsidizing the cost of veterinary care for families who otherwise would be unable to afford it and keeping pets safe at home. We also want to reduce pet overpopulation by providing affordable access to spay and neuter surgeries,” said Dr. Jessica Reed, Chief of Veterinary Medicine. “Our Community Medicine program aims to maintain the human-animal bond and ensure it is never broken due to lacking access to veterinary care. Everyone in the family feels better when their pets are happy and healthy.”
PetSmart Charities efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, granting more than $450 million to nonprofits aligned with its mission since its inception in 1994.
“We are proud to support Seattle Humane in making affordable veterinary care accessible to pets and people in need,” said Dani LaGiglia, community grants manager at PetSmart Charities. “Pets are often thought of as family, and this work ensures pet parents in the greater Seattle-King County area can provide crucial care for beloved pets in spite of many existing barriers that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.”
More information about Seattle Humane’s Community Medicine program and Wellness Clinic can be found here, or by emailing vets@seattlehumane.org, or calling 425-649-7560.
