Volunteers in Medicine, The Street Dog Coalition Partner for Pet Health
Volunteers in Medicine was busier than usual on Saturday, August 13, as the clinic’s downtown parking lot filled with pet owners and their four-legged family members. It was a new partnership for VIM, which hosted The Street Dog Coalition’s veterinary outreach that included free pet exams, vaccines, flea/tick/heartworm prevention, microchips and more.
While pet services aren’t typically offered at VIM, the partnership seemed like a natural extension of the clinic’s holistic approach to advancing the community’s physical, mental and emotional well-being. “We know how much pets mean to our patients and the impact they have on their mental health,” explained Jennifer Ryan, CEO of VIM. “To be able to host a free pet clinic on site was amazing. We could not have done this without the generosity of Volunteer Veterinarians in our community.”
Constanze Goricki, DVM, and Team Lead in Jacksonville, acknowledged the success of the new partnership. She thanked Ryan, noting, “Our first clinic was a great success in no small part because of your help and facilities. We served a number of your (VIM’s) clients, some of the neighborhood homeless population and some of VIM’s neighbors.”
The pet clinic was so popular that all reserved slots were quickly filled in advance. Pet owner Mike Hendricks was pleased with his results: “Volunteers [In Medicine] called, we made an appointment to get my dogs taken care of, and it was really a great thing, I really don’t know where else we would go otherwise.” Many more pet owners participated as walk-up hopefuls, bringing waggy-tailed dogs on leashes, and cats complaining from their carriers. A few pet owners even traveled from rural locations to get the care their pets needed. They each left with medications up to date and donations of pet food and supplies from The Street Dog Coalition. Overall, twenty-nine pets were served, and eighteen volunteers assisted.
“It was wonderful to make a difference in so many people’s lives. To see such happy faces and to feel how much they appreciate what we are doing was amazing,” said Galey Gravenstein, Volunteer and Street Dog Coalition Co-Lead.
The event was so successful that another pet clinic with The Street Dog Coalition is scheduled at VIM, 41 East Duval Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202, on November 19, 2022. For information or reservations, pet owners should contact Street Dog Coalition at jax@thestreetdogcoalition.org.
