DARTMOUTH: Affordability and the rising costs of basic needs have been in the news and talked about around kitchen tables in Nova Scotia.
The exponential increase in cost of living is not just impacting people living below the poverty line, but those living one emergency or one pay-cheque away from losing everything.
For those who want to bring a pet into their family, the cost of wellness and preventative measures can be a barrier.
The Nova Scotia SPCA and PetSmart Charities want to help, because animals need families, and families need pets.
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PetSmart Charities has granted the Nova Scotia SPCA $500,000 to build a purpose-built hospital that will help reduce barriers to keeping a pet healthy.
The hospital will be open to the public and located on the current site of the SPCA’s provincial administration office at 7 Scarfe Court in Dartmouth.
“Veterinary care has been slipping out of reach of the average pet owner,” says Kate Atema, Director of Community Grants Initiative for PetSmart Charities.
“Pet families need help to bring veterinary care within reach. Our partners at the Nova Scotia SPCA have a vision of how to make that happen, and we are happy to be working with them on it.”
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The new, yet-to-be-named Veterinary Hospital, will have the goal of not stretching the budget of families who need to access care and will implement learnings from the first hospital which opened in late 2021.
The Nova Scotia SPCA is in Phase II of the PetSmart Charities “Accelerator” grant program, which is a critical part of the $100 million commitment PetSmart Charities has made to access care over the next five years across North America.
“In Phase II we are completing a new hospital that will be built with accessibility – physical, cost and cultural – as a major goal. We have the right equipment and the right setup to maximize efficiency.
“We have a great team of staff and are growing the understanding of the spectrum of care in Nova Scotia,” says Elizabeth Murphy, CEO, Nova Scotia SPCA.
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The Accelerator program is a highly competitive multi-year grant that provides funding, consulting, mentoring, community of practice and support tools.
The grant category is designed to help any non-profit veterinary clinic envision and create an operating model that provides the highest level and quantity of care it possibly can while sustaining itself primarily through the revenue of paying clients.
“We are very appreciative that PetSmart Charities has recognized that Nova Scotians are worried about the cost of caring for their furry family members, and have entrusted the Nova Scotia SPCA to find solutions,” says Marni Tuttle, Executive Director of Advancement at the Nova Scotia SPCA.
“Our team has gained valuable knowledge and insights into running a non-profit veterinary hospital and hope we can help more families with this new veterinary hospital.”
The Nova Scotia SPCA has a tagline of saving lives and creating families.
With support from donors like PetSmart Charities, the SPCA is also keeping families together.
