Upon winning funds from a natural personal care company, a Grays Ferry pet clinic is able to offer free services to cash-strapped pet owners.
New pet owner Rocco DelGrammastro utilized money from a Tom’s of Maine sponsorship that allowed him to receive free veterinary care for My Kitty, formerly a stray cat in his neighborhood.
A black cat was roaming the streets of Grays Ferry until his path crossed that of a local resident who thought of it as anything but bad luck.
“One look and I knew I had to have him,” Rocco DelGrammastro said.
Now, not only is the black feline he fondly calls “My Kitty” sheltered inside his home at 29th Street and Grays Ferry Avenue, but he also was neutered, vaccinated and given flea treatment free of charge at Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society’s Spay/Neuter & Wellness Center, 2900 Grays Ferry Ave.
Rescuing 2,762 animals from Animal Control last year, PAWS has impacted even more pets since the March opening of its clinic.
“We have seen almost 5,000 animals in the clinic whether for surgery or clinical care since we opened,” PAWS’ Executive Director Melissa Levy said.
And that number continues to rise, especially with the help of various funding including Tom’s of Maine, a natural personal product line that awarded the nonprofit a $20,000 sponsorship from its “50 States for Good” program to help expand its outreach and assist pet owners like DelGrammastro.
“We put together a plan to dispatch volunteers into neighborhoods that are the most in need of these services and least likely to be able to access them,” Levy said.
The plan includes volunteers educating pet owners about the services the clinic offers such as low-cost spaying and neutering, as well as other basic veterinarian needs and visiting other parts of the city for its monthly Community Pet Day that launched last month.
“It provides an alternative for people who feel they have no other alternative than to dump their pet at a shelter,” she said.
That sum of money is expected to provide free veterinary services through March to about 300 to 500 animals, but may run out sooner, Levy said.
“In order to take advantage of the free services, all they need to do is show some documentation that they receive public assistance of some sort whether it’s an Access card or Medicaid or they live in public housing,” she said. People who don’t officially qualify still can make appointments at the clinic at our regular, low costs.”
DelGrammastro saw the cat on his porch one morning. However, by the time the 45-year-old fetched some tuna, the cat had vanished, so he made sure he’d be prepared for their next encounter.
“Every time I walked out of the house I would grab a can of tuna and my can opener in hopes I’d see him,” DelGrammastro said as he held My Kitty inside the clinic Tuesday.
Finally, they met again and he dangled a rubber band in front of My Kitty to lure him into the home. He soon carried the approximately 8-month-old, to the clinic and explained his situation to the staff.
“He found a cat on the street the other day,” Robin Ackerman, foster care and clinic practice manager, said. “He said, ‘I’ll keep it, but I can’t afford to get anything done for it.’”
Luckily, PAWS had just received funds to offset the costs for those who could not afford the fees and hope to find additional resources, including donors, to continue the program.
“We’ll continue to seek out funding to serve the pet owners who can’t even afford our low costs,” Levy said.
Tom’s of Maine received a few thousand submissions last year, so in its second year, the company retargeted its fund to aid nonprofits with a budget less than $200,000.
After interning at the Ocean Mammal Institute and Maui Bird Conservation Center in and after college, where she majored in animal behavior, Allison Homer browsed craigslist for a job and came across the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society that launched in 2006.
Robin Ackerman, of 17th and McKean streets, is willing to do just about anything to help a sick cat or dog get back on its paws.
Just across the street from the Grays Ferry Shopping Center sits a rather unremarkable gray building involved in a remarkable business — the business of saving lives.
The Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) hopes to make caring for cats and dogs more affordable by offering low-cost basic veterinary care to pet owners at its new facility in Grays Ferry early next year. "It has always been part of our overall mission and goal to better serve pet owners in Philadelphia and try to reduce the homeless [pet] population. We see this facility as a way to do just that," PAWS Executive Director Melissa Levy said. In construction since the summer at 2900 Grays Ferry Ave., the facility adjacent to the post office is in the process of transforming from a vacant concrete warehouse to The PAWS Spay/Neuter and Wellness Center, which will be open seven days a week starting in January although an official grand-opening has not been announced, Levy said. After searching for about six months, PAWS found the site in the spring. "We had been shopping around for a site that was going to be very accessible for pet owners, easy to reach from major highways -- 95 and 76 -- and close to UPenn," she said, noting the organization's relationship with the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine, 3800 Spruce St. The nonprofit...
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“hi i would like to see if i can get help with blood work for my pet dog please let me know
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