Courtesy of Columbus Humane Society
Our pets are so important to us that some people who struggle with poverty will often use the little money they have to feed and care for their animals instead of themselves.
Luckily, the Columbus Humane Society is opening a one-of-a-kind Essential Care Center, offering low-cost veterinary care, a pet food pantry and a veterinary assistant training program.
Located on the south side area of Columbus, the goal of the new care center is to make veterinary care more accessible for people and animals in need. Not only is this beneficial for the animals receiving care and food, but it also allows for pet owners to save their money for personal essentials such as food, housing and transportation.
Rachel D. K. Finney, CEO of the Columbus Humane Society since 2012, says veterinary care shouldn’t be a luxury.
“There are so many benefits (to owning pets) and that shouldn’t just be available to people who are wealthy or who have tremendous financial resources,” she says. “Pets can be an incredible companion and we want to make sure that everybody who has and loves a pet has the ability to provide great care for that pet.”
One of the jobs of this independent, private non-profit organization is preventing animal cruelty. Finney says the lack of affordable pet care options directly correlates to the volume of animal neglect cases, not because the owners don’t want to take care of their pets, but because they simply can’t afford to.
“One way that we knew how extensive the need is is because we’re in the field every single day, responding to families who need more help for their pets,” Finney says.
Finney says one reason Columbus’ need for affordable pet care and supplies is higher than ever is because of the increase in pet adoptions. Isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic and families choosing to adopt animals rather than having children are significant factors in the recent spike in adoption rates.
Courtesy of Columbus Humane Society
This has led to an increased need for animal care, and the veterinary field has been unable to keep up with the demand.
Finney hopes The Essential Care Center will help counter this imbalance by offering a training program.
“There are an estimated 70,000 pets in Franklin County alone that have never seen a veterinarian so we won’t be able to meet that need in one facility here, we need to help build capacity for all of our neighbor clinics,” Finney says. “Many of our families in our community cannot afford those increased service costs. 40% of Americans cannot afford an unexpected $400 expense and veterinary care is absolutely in that range.”
Once The Essential Care Center is up and running, the organization's next step is to implement a One Health Clinic, a collaboration between Ohio State’s College of Nursing, Social Work and Veterinary Medicine. The program provides both people and their pets with quality health screenings and support all in the same place.
“They may be more likely to take advantage of human health exams and what’s important is to be able to establish those trusted, friendly relationships with health care providers. And that’s why we feel like we’ll be able to meet more people leads by simply inviting them in a different way to get their health checked out,” Finney says.
As a non-profit organization that relies mostly on private donations and volunteers, The Humane Society is always looking for caring individuals to support and lend a hand. Finney says the organization wouldn’t have been able to survive the 140 years that it has without the central Ohio community.
“We’re grateful for our community that supports this type of work and we can’t do it alone. So anyone interested in supporting us we welcome their gifts to help make this happen,” she says.
Maisie Fitzmaurice is an assistant editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at mfitzmaurice@cityscenemediagroup.com.
