Free pet health clinic fills community need in Jeannette

May 21—Dogs and cats, with their owners in tow, lined up outside the City of Jeannette Fire Department more than 30 minutes before the doors opened Sunday morning to receive free medical care.

"I think this is a blessing for the community. We really need this, especially since our family can't get to the vet on our own," said Heather Clark, moments after her 5-month-old, short-haired cat, Gandalf The Grey, received a microchip to track her movements and a rabies shot.

Organizers said the clinic, the first conducted in Jeannette since before the pandemic, filled a major void in the community.

"There is a vet shortage and there's a long wait for appointments," said Heather Cordial, one of the event leaders. "We're helping to bring the community together for pet health."

Cordial, who is fostering Lila, a boarder collie she rescued from the Fayette SPCA and mourning the death last week of her 13-year-old shepherd, Enzo, said the clinic is designed to not only provide health care but to promote chipping of pets to reduce what has been a growing burden on rescue organizations that house and care for dogs and cats lost or left by their owners.

Dr. Megan Alley of the Donaldson Animal Hospital in Jeannette implanted small chips into dogs and cats to assist authorities in finding pets owners should their animals wander away from home.

"We get faxes every day about lost pets and Facebook pages are filled about lost animals all the time. This is a way to reunite pets and their owners," Alley said.

Ensuring pets can be returned to their owners is a growing concern, according to Ashley Lutz, president of TJ's Rescue Hideaway in Hempfield.

"Now, we are coming out of the pandemic and the economy is doing bad so people don't want their pets. A lot of dogs are being dumped because there is no place to take them," Lutz said.

The clinic also offered rabies vaccines and nail clippings, services that more than 150 people lined up their pets to receive at Sunday's event.

Fire department Capt. Joe Matijevic said the clinic was well received by the community and expects it to be an annual event in Jeannette.

"It's good to promote free services. It saves a lot of people money," Matijevic said.

For pet owners such as Sierra Milan and BK Pritts, who stood patiently in line to have nails clipped on their 3-year-old miniature pinscher, Annie, and Momo, their 14-year-old shih tsu, the free clinic was a welcome service.

"I tried to get them in other places but everywhere is booked. This is obviously needed," Milan said.

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich by email at rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .