The Humane Society of Northeast Georgia recently established and expanded services for pet owners who are facing homelessness, poverty and limited access to resources.
HSNEGA Board Member Kelsey Chastain recently joined WDUN’s Drive at 5 to discuss the many services they provide.
“One of the most important aspects is our mobile veterinary unit,” Chastain said. “This allows our medical team to bring care to people locally and in the region to help care for their pet and we also have been supporting members of the homeless community with vaccines and surgeries and pet delivery.”
The Humane Society recently served 30 pets in a local homeless encampment, helping people feed their pets.
“That's a really large part of what we do, as well, distributing pet food through Meals on Wheels, monthly food drives at the hub at Gainesville High School,” Chastain said. “And all of that's made possible by food that's been donated by Mars.”
One of the most vital parts of the outreach is their vaccine clinic.
“So for many years, we have done cat and dog vaccine clinics, and those have changed recently to become drive-through vaccine clinics, so people can bring both their dogs and cats and not even need to leave their vehicles,” Chastain said.
The free drive-through clinic is supported through a Petco grant and serves pet owners in Hall County.
Their recent clinic on July 30 provided vaccines to 165 dogs and 56 cats. Beginning in October, the shelter will provide two drive-through clinics for dogs and cats. Dates and times will be announced on the shelter’s social media pages and website.
Since the beginning of the year, the Humane Society has helped nearly 1,500 animals through vaccination clinics and other outreach initiatives.
The shelter also continues its vital No More Litters program, offering free spay surgeries for female dogs and cats that have recently given birth, and helping to find loving homes for their puppies and kittens once they are old enough.
To learn more about the Humane Society’s mission or resources, visit www.hsnega.org.
