29 Mar Second Chance: Veterinary Care for the Community!
Second Chance Humane Society’s Animal Resource Center (SCHS) and Thrift Shops have been serving San Miguel, Ouray and Montrose Counties since 1994. The shelter is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday 11 to 5:30. Community veterinary services are available by appointment.
View shelter pets and services online: www.adoptmountainpets.org.
Go here for more on Dr. Shari DePauw of Second Chance. Second Chance veterinary clinic is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Call (970) 626-9713 or email clinic@adoptmountainpets.org
Go here for more options from Second Chance.
Below please find the fourth in a series of Pet Columns highlighting Second Chance’s 2022 Impact Statistics.
The belief “Pets and People Live Better Together” is fundamental to the services Second Chance offers. The most successful and fastest-growing of those services is the Community Veterinary Clinic. Happy to report, in 2022, we served 958 pets with spaying/neutering, vaccines, dental, wellness checks, diagnostics, and euthanasia.
Veterinary care at our facility began in 2016, but it was solely focused on care for the stray, abandoned, and owner-surrendered animals that came into our care. Over the next few years, we realized that many of our surrender requests were because families could not afford veterinary care. Stories of having to relinquish a pet because of a lack of money to provide medicines or veterinary care were heartbreaking. That’s what motivated the decision to open the clinic to serve pet parents who were struggling financially, adding more days and more services. During the pandemic, the need for veterinary care sky-rocketed and we opened our clinic doors to all, with sliding scale fees. The goal is to provide quality, compassionate, professional veterinary care to everyone in the community who may need a more affordable option. As we come to expect more and more from full-service veterinary clinics, it makes sense for humane organizations to help fill the gap with the goal of keeping families together and keeping pets with the people who love them.
As a non-profit, we support and fund our services through grants, fundraising, and sponsorships from our community. Clinic customers pay rates that help us provide our services, but don’t always cover all the expenses associated with pet care. Although we have established rates, we always welcome donations at the time of service (or anytime!). If you can afford to pay more, please consider adding a donation to help the next family who may need help paying.
We also provide clinics in underserved communities in the west end of Montrose County. Nucla, Naturita, Paradox, Uravan, and Redvale are small, remote, rural areas where veterinary care is hard to find. We schedule regular clinics (during the spring, summer, and fall) where we vaccinate pets and provide other wellness services – usually treating over 60 pets in a day. We are starting to work with the tribal communities in the Four Corners area to provide much-needed care there too.
As anyone who has visited our clinic knows, Dr. Shari, Tabby, and Tina are all very special people. We are so fortunate to have such a dedicated, professional, skilled, and compassionate staff. Their commitment to helping pets is second to none.
Our vet clinic’s mission is to provide commonly needed medical and surgical procedures. It is open four days a week (by appointment). We have recently added more recovery space, a reception area, and more room for surgeries and exams.
Gonzo
My name is Gonzo. I love Dr. Shari, Tabby, and Tina. I came to Second Chance in pretty bad shape. I was really matted, skinny, and had issues with my teeth. They fixed me up and are continuing to care for me until I find someone who wants to bring a senior cat into their home to love and care for. I promise to give lots of purrs in return.
AND… To continue the Second Chance Highlights section, we want to share the following:
In the shelter world, spring means more than flowers, warm weather, and mud. It means kitten season. What’s kitten season you ask? In warmer months, many kittens are born to outdoor or unaltered cats. This means our shelter can get flooded with tiny kittens in need of fosters, sponsors, and supplies to help them thrive!
Help us meet their needs by becoming a kitten foster, donating a little extra to help care for these vulnerable babies, and/or volunteering to help at the shelter or at an upcoming kitten adoption event.
Reminder: No-Fee Cat Adoptions Ends April 1
Adoption Hours Tuesday-Saturday 11 am – 5:30 pm
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