Portland Animal Welfare Team
Organization Mission and Overview
MISSION
Our mission is to make veterinary care accessible to the pets of people experiencing homelessness and extreme poverty. This includes the pets of people living on the streets and very low-income people who are at risk of becoming homeless. Since area homeless shelters do not allow people to bring their pets inside, the animals we serve spend every day outside. PAW Team strives to provide basic care to make life a little bit better for these pets and their caregivers.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
People on the streets or in transition from the streets often do not financially have the ability to access veterinary care for their pets. This situation can cause unnecessary pain and suffering for the pets and emotional stress for the caretakers of the pets. Unvaccinated animals are also a public health concern for the broader community of having. The services offered by PAW Team reduce disease, feed and protect hungry pets, provide care for animal companions in emergencies, and prevent public health crises through proactive treatment.
WHAT SERVICES DO YOU OFFER?
PAW Team holds up to six "street" clinics each year. Over the past couple of years, we have cared for an average of 70 animals at each clinic. We endeavor to vaccinate, deworm and provide appropriate flea and heartworm medication to each animal. Basic health problems such as skin, ear, and eye infections are also addressed. We now provide microchipping, rabies license, and county licensing at no cost to clients, with generous assistance from the Multnomah County Animal Services.
More in-depth care is provided in cooperation with local hospitals using our small emergency fund to cover costs. We hope to add testing for FeLV, FIV, Parvo and Heartworm Disease at future clinics. Donated animal food, leashes, collars, blankets, sweaters, and packs are distributed at the clinics. We also provide educational information on animal care, training and disease to the animal caregivers, as well as coupons and information on spay/neuter services. We are partnering with Oregon Humane Society and Multnomah County Animal Services to provide an annual free spay/neuter event for the pets of homeless people.
WHO PROVIDES THE SERVICES?
Services are provided by an all-volunteer staff of veterinarians, veterinary technicians and others from the Portland community interested in assisting the program. We are a registered Oregon 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and our volunteer board of directors manages the business of the organization. We also have "virtual" volunteers who live far away but who help us with administrative tasks via the web.
WHERE ARE SERVICES PROVIDED?
Currently services are provided in cooperation with Outside In, a local shelter and day center for homeless youth in Portland, Oregon. Our free animal health care clinics are held at Outside In, at Dignity Village, at the Potluck-in-the-Park Resource Faire, and in conjunction with the Project Homeless Connect events in Portland and in Washington County.
Local veterinary clinics provide emergency services for pets that need care beyond what we can provide at our street clinics. Special thanks to Rose City Veterinary Hospital and Tigard Animal Hospital for their support!
WHO PROVIDES THE SUPPLIES?
Some supplies such as vaccines, antibiotics, topical medicines, deworming medication and flea medication are provided in part through donations from area veterinary clinics of short-dated or excess items. Some items are donated by veterinary supply companies, or provided at discounted rates. Individual donors provide much-needed supplies and funding. Monetary donations are crucial both to purchase clinic supplies and to provide funds for our emergency treatment program. (See our wish list to help out!)
PROGRAM HISTORY
PAW Team is the formalization of work done by several individuals who have been providing veterinary care to needy animals for years. This group of people came together in 2004 to form one organization to better serve the health care needs of the pets of people in extreme poverty. The founding members: Barbara DeManincor, AHT; Heather Dillon, DVM; Sal Jepson, DVM; Wendy Kohn, DVM; and Larry Sams, DVM.
