Free Veterinary Care for Pets of People Experiencing Homelessness

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)- Volunteer veterinarians, technicians, and human-animal bond advocates are on a mission to help care for lives on both ends of the leash, by bringing The Street Dog Coalition (SDC) right here to the Midlands.

SDC is in more than 6o cities across the country and offers free, primarily preventative, veterinary care and related services to people who are at risk of or are experiencing homelessness.

Spearheaded by local animal shelter veterinarian Dr. Jennifer Bonovich, SDC welcomed its first pop-up clinic in Columbia on June 8th.

“We’re providing these services so we can take that burden off of them. If they need heartworm prevention, flea prevention, we’re going to provide that for free. If they just need advice on how to care for the dog, we’ll provide that for free. We’re here to provide the service so they can keep their pet, and that can keep their mental health, their physical health, their pets happy, as well as themselves,” says Dr. Bonovich. SDC uses a ‘One Health’ approach, which Dr. Bonovich says “the health of the animal, and the health of our people, and the health of our environment are all related.”

SDC intends to host quarterly pop-up clinics throughout Columbia. You can find more information on their website here.