Pets don’t have to be human to be family.
That’s the driving sentiment behind a nonprofit partnership between The Animal Pad, a dog rescue service based in La Mesa, and Project Street Vet to offer free veterinary clinics to low-income and homeless pet owners in San Diego.
At a clinic Feb. 27 in the parking lot at Pechanga Arena in the Midway District, about 40 pet owners turned out, with two volunteer veterinarians and four vet techs on hand to take care of their animals’ needs.
With more than 10,000 people estimated to be experiencing homelessness in San Diego County, it’s a growing challenge to find stable housing for them and their pets.
The free clinic offers services including exams, flea medications, vaccines, deworming and nail trimming. Every owner also gets a goody bag filled with dog or cat food and treats and a toy.
Free leashes and collars are available to anyone who needs them.
“We’re here to give free veterinary care with no judgment, just help,” said Val Nassir, program coordinator for Project Street Vet, which was founded in 2020 by Dr. Kwane Stewart. “It’s so important, because pets are family and sometimes they are the only things these individuals have. And they just give them so much love and comion.”
Nassir said Project Street Vet has “an enormous amount of volunteers ready to help us,” which keeps the program running smoothly.
Dr. Frank Merritt, who has been volunteering with Project Street Vet for almost three years, said, “I’m a retired vet who still has a couple of drops of energy in me.”
After the owners fill out an information form, Merritt does a thorough exam on each animal.
“I do it because I respect my profession,” he said. “We look at the whole creature, whether it’s a dog or a cat, from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail. They can’t tell us what’s wrong with them, so we have to figure it out. I feel dogs and cats deserve as much care as they can get.”
The program partners with veterinary hospitals if more services are needed.
Edvin Alexander said those extra services saved the lives of four of his dogs. His first dog, Onyx, gave birth to six puppies a year ago and they all got parvovirus, a highly contagious and potentially deadly canine infection.
“Two out of the litter died from it,” Alexander said. “I was in tears and I praying, ‘What can I do? I don’t have the money.’
“I found Project Street Vet online and happened to qualify for their services. They lined up a vet for me, and three days later, all the [remaining] puppies survived. So they’re alive because of Project Street Vet.”
Other pet owners at the clinic who didn’t give their last names were equally grateful for the program.
Robert said he heard about it from his daughter. He’s a retired electrician who lives in his car and sometimes sleeps in a nearby canyon with his two terriers.
“I’ve been on the downside ever since I retired,” he said. “Retirement is not all it’s cut out to be as far as living in California goes. So I came to get some services for my dogs.”
Both terriers received exams and needed vaccinations, plus nail trims.
Susie, who is retired and lives in a 45-year-old RV in a friend’s backyard, adopted a shelter dog in December after her last dog died. She went to the clinic to get her Chihuahua mix an injection of medication for itching.
“I think programs like this are a godsend because there is so much need out there,” Susie said. “And if people don’t get help, the animals suffer.”
Shelly said she lived on the street for three years before she got emergency housing through the city. She’s hoping to obtain permanent housing for her and her two dogs, Hooker and Harley, both of whom she rescued from unhealthy living conditions, she said.
“I thank God for this program because it means people who couldn’t take care of their animals … can now take care of them like they deserve to be taken care of,” Shelly said.
Clinics are offered once a month at various locations around San Diego. For more information, visit projectstreetvet.org.
