A three-fold increase in free clinics.
2017 saw the addition of two new monthly clinic venues to the Street Vets calendar. In addition to increasing Neighborhood Dog Days from nine to ten events a year, we broadened our reach to include two more historically difficult to reach communities.
We added a monthly Stockton Boulevard Clinic, held on Tuesdays in collaboration with Harm Reduction Services and the VFW Post 67. The venue has allowed us to welcome cats to our clinics, long an unattainable goal at the Neighborhood Dog Days clinics.
We treat from 30-50 pets at each clinic, several of whom are critical rechecks from the Dog Days of the previous weekend.
The location, along the "finger" of Sacramento County that juts into the City, brings us into a community that, by being at the junction of the two jurisdictions, historically has lacked consistent support.
We also added a monthly clinic for pet owners experiencing homelessness, encamped along the American River Parkway in North Sacramento.
Our Tuesday River Clinics satisfy a long felt need to support our burgeoning homeless neighbors, many of whom made the choice to live outdoors, in order not to abandon their pets when pet-accepting housing options were unavailable. The value of pets to people experiencing homelessness has been well documented, including less illicit drug use, more stable daily routines, increased social engagement, as well as all of the calming health benefits.
We see from 50-80 pets at each of these clinics, and make emergency calls when needed.
We have had 28 dogs from the encampments spayed and neutered, helping reduce the population of puppies at high risk of parvo and shelter intake, and have taken in an additional 19 puppies from the encampments into our rescue program.