Our Board of Directors
Dr. Virginia Johnson – President, Outreach, Veterinary Liaison
Linda Maguire – Vice President, Recruitment, Fundraising
Mary Obee, – Secretary, Client Liaison, Outreach, Volunteer Coordination
Laurie Riley – Financial Director, Office Manager
Dr. Lois Davis – Fundraising, Volunteer Coordination
Pet Helpers Port Townsend
PO Box 1748, Port Townsend WA 98368
http://www.pethelpersporttownsend.org
OUR PROCEDURE
Our procedure for accepting clients is simple. The phone rings or an email arrives from someone who is struggling with homelessness, unemployment, or who is trying to get by on Social Security and not making it. Their pet is sick, injured, or needs to be spayed, neutered or vaccinated. We refer them to the appropriate veterinary office and we pay the vet directly.
We are so lucky to have great veterinarians who work with us, who regularly discuss with us the diagnoses, prognoses, care plans, and finances for each client. Our systems have been honed so that everything is easiest for the pet, the pet’s owner, and the vet. It’s gratifying that something so needed works so well.
We depend entirely on donations and grants from caring people like you.
In addition to the work we are doing, we hope in the future to provide fostering services for people in hospital or rehabilitation facilities, and to be able to access after-hours emergency veterinary care which does not exist in the counties we serve. Having looked into how we might address this challenge, it is clear that we need a sponsor. Meanwhile, we continue to do our usual work of caring for every pet who needs us.
Success stories:
Among the many pets successfully brought back to health by our wonderful veterinarians, one of our patients last winter was Kobe the dog, who has an autoimmune condition that manifested as a massive, bumpy white nose that eventually looked like a cauliflower. He was very, very uncomfortable to say the least. After diagnosis and treatment, what a difference!
Here is what Kobe’s nose looked like before it reached its worst
Two weeks later, Kobe’s nose was so much better:
This may seem like a small thing, but for Kobe, it’s huge.
Because it’s a chronic autoimmune condition, his medications need to be continued to prevent recurrence.
And…among our other recent cases was a simple tooth extraction, without which Rosie the dog was in great pain. The cost was $1600 – for just one molar! That price is typical for a dog’s dental extraction.
Dental issues are probably the most common of veterinary procedures for all pets. Needless to say, the costs of all veterinary services are high, but we cannot say no when a pet is suffering. That’s why your donations are important.
As we continue to serve, Pet Helpers Port Townsend’s main projects remain:
- Seeing that the pets of underfunded people in our area receive the veterinary care they need
- Exploring better access to emergency veterinary services
- Visiting encampments and transitional housing communities to meet people and their pets
- Ongoing fundraising activities
- Coordinating with efforts to improve living conditions for underfunded pet owners, which in turn improves the lives of the pets they love
- Fostering – we hope to start a program to temporarily care for pets of clients going into hospitals or rehab facilities.
Acknowledging our Veterinarians and our Volunteers
As always, we would like to thank the veterinarians who work with us and who invoice us directly for the services they provide to our clients. And we thank our dedicated volunteers who visit clients, transport them to appointments when needed, help at fundraising events, keep track of donation jars at stores around town, and donate space and energy to make sure we can continue to do our work. Deep gratitude to all!
Thank you for helping us help pets in need
To those of us who are well fed, well housed, and whose pets are securely cared for: may we remember the people are unsheltered or underfunded, and whose pets need help to stay healthy. That is our work and our passion, and we are confident that it makes a difference.
Finnegan says, “My ear infection is all better now. Thank you for your generosity and caring!”
Email: pethelperspt@gmail.com
Website: www.pethelpersporttownsend.org
Pet Helpers Board of Directors:
Dr. Virginia Johnson DVM, Board President
Laurie Riley, founder, office manager, financial director
Dr. Lois Davis, fundraising and volunteer coordination
Linda Maguire, recruitment
Pet Helpers Port Townsend 