Christmas came early for hundreds of pet owners in Habersham County on Saturday: Their pets received free veterinary services at a pop-up clinic at the county fairgrounds in Clarkesville.
Habersham County Animal Care and Control (HCACC) coordinated the clinic with the help of PEThood Georgia of Duluth. They provided complimentary exams, vaccines, microchips, spay/neuter vouchers, flea medication, and pet food and supplies.
For four hours, staff and volunteers from both agencies tended to a continuous line of cats and dogs whose owners drove through the clinic. Around 9 a.m., there were well over 50 vehicles in a line stretching from the soccer field parking lot to Highway 17, with a few vehicles waiting to turn in.
HCACC staff and volunteers directed cars, assisted with paperwork, answered questions, handed out pet treats, and provided stellar customer service throughout the event. Planned PEThood staff and volunteers were professional and caring as they examined and administered vaccines. While the posted hours ended at noon, those who were in line by that time were guaranteed service, and the last car left just after one o’clock.
“We met and exceeded our goal, seeing 220 pets in just over four hours,” says PEThood Georgia’s Go Fix Georgia Program Coordinator Tanya Weaver.
Besides the wait time caused by the tremendous turnout, the experience was flawless, some pet owners told Now Habersham.
Golden tickets and relationships
Only those who applied for and received ‘golden tickets’ from HCACC before the event were eligible to participate. Each ticket was good for three pets. The tickets were golden because not only did they save each owner hundreds of dollars on medical services, they brought them peace of mind knowing that their pets are now protected against serious diseases. In addition, the pets can now be identified through microchips if lost and are eligible for hundreds more dollars worth of free spaying and neutering services.
It’s more than generosity and a love of animals that drives the team at PEThood Georgia to travel from suburban Atlanta to rural Northeast Georgia on a Saturday to help strangers’ pets. It’s the offshoot of years of relationship building by HCACC Director Madi Nix and her team.
“The Habersham County Animal Shelter has been a great partner with our Go Fix Georgia program for the last few years. We have been transporting their adoptable shelter animals for spaying and neutering, helping to combat overpopulation one pet at a time,” says Weaver. “During this time, we have seen the need in their community firsthand. People need help to keep their pets in their homes, get them up to date on vaccines and stop reproducing. We knew that we could help and came up with a mobile pop-up clinic to help a large number of pets in a short time.”
Weaver cites a “severe lack of affordable veterinary care” as one of the biggest challenges pet owners in rural Georgia face in keeping their pets healthy and safe.
Saturday’s event was the fourth pop-up clinic PEThood Georgia has held in Habersham. The nonprofit agency has now helped over 800 animals in the county. Weaver says they’ve used the blueprint established in Habersham to branch out and help three other rural communities using donated funds.
She adds, “Our goal is to help keep these pets healthy and in their homes through a tough time.”
“We’re so blessed to have partners like Planned PEThood of Georgia who help us provide much-needed resources to our community,” says Nix. “It’s been a tough year for a lot of us financially- and events such as this, we hope, show our taxpayers how appreciative we are for their support. We’re a team- and we take care of each other!”
She adds, “To our donors, volunteers, and staff that made this event happen – Thank you! This is why we do what we do!”
Visit www.pethoodga.org to learn more about PEThood Georgia’s services and to donate. For information about upcoming events and pet adoptions at the Habersham County Animal Shelter, visit HcaccShelter on Facebook.
