My name is Shaindel Beers, and I'm the Vice President of PAWS, Pendleton Animal Welfare Shelter in Pendleton, Oregon. As a shelter, we can use shelter funds only for shelter animals, other than a very small emergency fund to help someone afford a veterinary office visit (which only covers the visit itself, not treatment). Many people reach out to me for assistance with vet care, especially former adopters from our shelter who have a veterinary emergency they can't afford.

Hero is an 18-month-old cat who needed to have a dental appointment today. Normally, young cats do not need dental treatments, and Hero's adopter was not expecting this expense. I helped Hero's owner make an appointment with the vet our shelter uses, and he was able to help Hero with antibiotic vaccines, which kept his dental health good for a while, but Hero needed to come back for a real dental cleaning today. Otherwise, he would have been in too much pain to eat.

The total amount for his treatment today was $544.50, and he had a previous balance of $41.85 from when he received antibiotic and anti-inflammatory injections a few months ago.

In the past, if pet owners couldn't afford vet care, they were told to return their pets to the shelter they adopted them from and have the shelter pay for the care. I don't believe that this is right. My goal is to help keep pets in their homes with the owners who know and love them.

I truly believe that if we each donate a little, we can make a big difference in the lives of pets and their owners. No owner should have to give their pet back to a shelter because they can't afford vet care.

Sincerely,

Shaindel Beers

Vice President

PAWS