BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – John Parent of Burlington waits patiently alongside his young Boxer combine, Diamond, for his vet checkup.
“He is my world,” Parent mentioned, petting Diamond. “I never thought I would want a dog but he is everything to me right now.”
Parent, like everybody who stopped by the free clinic, struggles to pay vet payments.
“I live on a very, very low income so I want to make sure he’s ok,” Parent defined. “He weighs a little more than I thought he was but it’s ok.”
Street Dog Coalition is a Burlington-based group offering free vet look after dogs and cats of these susceptible to, or experiencing, homelessness. Saturday marks their fourth vet clinic since their begin in fall of final 12 months. The clinic provides many companies, together with bodily exams, vaccinations and parasite management.
Tessa Chaplin got here from Colchester to get her cat and canine checked out.
“We’re going through a bit of troubles right now so this was a great opportunity to get what they needed,” Chaplin mentioned.
Just 45 minutes into the clinic, vets had already seen round 40 dogs. Street Dog Coalition workforce chief and vet Michele Tulis anticipated one other 60 by the tip of the day. It’s extra animals than they’ve seen on the previous three clinics mixed.
With homelessness rising statewide – and tripling in Burlington previously 12 months – free vet companies can go a protracted approach to look after at-risk animals and their folks.
“For certain housing, people need to have their dogs vaccinated,” Dr. Michele Tulis defined. “So that would be great if we can help people get housing by taking care of their dogs.”
Street Dog Coalition will maintain their subsequent clinic in spring of subsequent 12 months. If you want inexpensive companies in your pet earlier than then, they advocate reaching out to your native vet or animal shelter.
Copyright 2023 WCAX. All rights reserved.
