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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.
At the newly-opened Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society’s (PAWS) Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic, cats and dogs that would not normally be in the position to receive primary veterinary care are given a fair chance.
“This is health care for our four-legged friends,” U.S. Rep. Bob Brady said at the clinic’s ribbon-cutting ceremony March 22.
On the day of its opening, the inside of the facility at 2900 Grays Ferry Ave. displayed the welcoming polish of newly-tiled floors and fresh paint. The walls were lined with PAWS memorabilia, as well as plaques honoring donors. In addition, the lobby boasted dozens of informational brochures on events and pet care, as well as seated enclosures to allow pets and their owners to wait in comfort and semi-privacy.
The clinic will focus on servicing two groups. The first includes pet owners who have trouble affording proper medical care for their animals.
“They are left feeling like they have no other options but to leave their pets at shelters or abandon them in the streets,” Dana Spain, president of PAWS, said.
As outlined on the PAWS Web site, a spay/neuter procedure for cats at the clinic costs $50 to $60 while dogs less than 40 pounds cost $90 and those more than 40 pounds cost $125. Other services include vaccinations as well as examinations and treatments for common conditions like worms and fleas.
The second consists of PAWS’ rescue partners.
“There are 30,000 animals that end up in an animal control shelter every year. There are tens of thousands more animals living on the streets every year that never make it to the shelter,” PAWS Executive Director Melissa Levy said of her hopes that the clinic will become an important factor in significantly reducing the amount of strays in the Philadelphia area.
Roughly 40 people, mostly donors and supporters of PAWS, attended the opening ceremony for the facility. In celebration of the success, Brady joined City Councilman-at-Large Jack Kelly in cutting a red ribbon stretched across the clinic’s brightly-polished entryway.
“It’s my honor and my duty to be here,” Brady said.
The congressman strongly relates to the organization’s mission thanks to his love for his own dog, Tian Sho Minzhu, which means “sweet little democrat.” He hopes the one message pet owners took away from the opening is simply to “take care of their dogs and take care of their cats, especially now that they have a facility that will help them do this at a minimal charge,” he said.
Afterwards, toasts were offered up in hopes for the site’s future success, as well as in commemoration of Levy’s birthday, which fell on the same day.
“I’m just unbelievably excited and really hopeful that this place will make a true difference in the number of homeless animals in Philadelphia and for pet owners who love their pets and are having a hard time taking care of them right now,” Levy said.
Also in attendance was Sally, a 3-year-old American pit bull terrier mix. Quietly sporting a bright orange vest that read “Adopt Me,” she acted as a modest reminder of those for whom the facility exists.
“We do this not for the money, but we do it for those just like Sally who have been recovered from the streets and are going to find a new home,” Spain said during her welcome speech.
Currently, the site includes examination rooms, maternity wards, isolation rooms for sick canines and felines, as well as housing space for the animals. Sometime in the near future, Spain hopes that the clinic will be able to afford an X-ray suite and a dental room.
The 6,200-square-foot clinic, which took eight months to build, received no city or state funds and remains completely donor sponsored. Donors included private individuals, as well as foundations such as the Philadelphia Eagles’ Treating Animals with Kindness (TAWK) grant program, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia among many others.
“Every penny counts,” Spain said while entreating everyone to do what they can to support the mission of PAWS.
While the clinic possesses a modest staff of five full-time and two part-time workers, it expects to perform upwards of 100 spay/neuter surgeries a day, as well as servicing approximately 10,000 households within the year. By providing such a resource to low-income families as well as those confronted with rescuing stray animals, PAWS hopes to multiply the number of animals saved yearly. The opening of the clinic was just one important step in PAWS’ much larger goal of making Philadelphia a no-kill city, Spain said.
“The top priority for a [stray] that you find on the street is getting it spayed or neutered,” Levy said. “That’s the other reason that this place exists: easy access, affordable access for those services that are so badly needed. … People are trying to do the best that they can, but we’re hoping we can enable them to do more by providing lower-cost services for them.” SPR
The clinic is open seven days a week, but appointments must be made by calling 215-298-9680. Donations can be made at www.phillypaws.org or mailed to PAWS, 100 N. Second St., Philadelphia, PA 19106.
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