Opening of New Low-Cost Veterinary Clinic Emancipet Celebrated by Local Leaders, Pet Owners, Neighbors

Emancipet now serving Philadelphia thanks to funding support from
PetSmart Charities®

PHILADELPHIA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nearly 100 local civic leaders, donors, pet owners, neighbors, and
friends celebrated today the grand opening of Emancipet, the new,
nonprofit, low-cost pet health clinic. Attendees toured the welcoming
new space at 575 Adams Avenue, enjoyed games and giveaways, and met some
friendly pets on hand for photo booth fun.

Emancipet serves Philadelphians and their pets with low-cost spay/neuter
surgeries, vaccinations, microchips, monthly flea and heartworm
prevention, puppy and kitten de-worming, and treatment for common
conditions such as skin and ear infections.

“We purposefully opened our new clinic in an underserved part of
Philadelphia where there is great need for low-cost veterinary care, but
our services are open to all pet owners, regardless of where they live,”
said Emancipet CEO Amy Mills. “We want to provide every pet owner with
easy access to safe, compassionate veterinary services at affordable,
straightforward prices, and we never turn anyone away – financial aid is
always available. Our team of 11 full-time, licensed, trained
veterinarians and veterinary professionals provide all the services in
our clinic with compassion and skill,” Mills said.

Emancipet is a nonprofit organization with a mission to make veterinary
care affordable and accessible to all pet owners. Emancipet owns and
operates a growing national system of low-cost pet health clinics in
underserved neighborhoods. This clinic is the seventh in the system, and
its first location outside Texas, where it operates in four cities.

The Philadelphia clinic was made possible through a $450,000 grant from PetSmart
Charities, the leading funder of animal welfare in North America.
The grant allowed Emancipet to lease the 3,700 square foot space on
Adams Avenue and purchase the equipment and supplies needed to open the
clinic.

“While providing a lifelong, loving home for a pet in need can be a
fulfilling experience and bring immeasurable joy to our lives, many pet
parents encounter unexpected challenges that affect the quality of care
they can afford for their pet,” said Roger Haston, chief administrative
officer of PetSmart Charities. “With this grant from PetSmart Charities,
we are thrilled to support Emancipet in their mission to provide
affordable veterinary care to local pets and pet parents in need in
Philadelphia.”

“We are especially grateful to PetSmart Charities for making this dream
a reality,” Mills said. “Their support will allow us to serve thousands
of pets each year, keeping pets and their families healthy and together
for a lifetime.”

Emancipet is reaching out to the community to share information about
its services through grassroots efforts including door-to-door outreach.
Pets for Life, a program of the Humane Society of the United States, is
an important partner for Emancipet, and shares office space in
Emancipet’s new Philadelphia clinic. Pets for Life staff also engage the
community through neighborhood outreach, helping make Emancipet’s
veterinary care even more accessible.

Today’s festive event included additional leadership staff from PetSmart
Charities, members of Emancipet’s local advisory council of business and
community leaders, members of Emancipet’s national board of directors,
representatives from the ASPCA and the Humane Society of the United
States, and Emancipet’s 11 local staff members, including vice president
Amanda Foxman and lead vet Dr. Emily Volk, both Philadelphia natives.

Dr. Curtis J. Gregory, senior director of the City of Philadelphia’s
Office of Business Services, spoke today representing Mayor Jim Kenney.

“We could not be more pleased to have Emancipet as a new resource for
all of the citizens of Philadelphia. Emancipet’s focus on keeping pets
healthy so owners and pets can stay together is innovative and positive,
and honors how important pets are in our lives,” Gregory said.

The clinic is open every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Spay/neuter
surgery requires an appointment; all other services are available on a
walk-in basis between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Appointments for surgeries can
be made by calling 267-774-4901 or visiting emancipet.org.

About Emancipet

Emancipet’s mission is to make veterinary care affordable and accessible
to all pet owners. To do this, Emancipet is building a national
nonprofit low-cost veterinary care system, with clinics in underserved
areas of Austin, Houston, Killeen, and Pflugerville Texas; and in
Philadelphia as of February, 2017. Emancipet advocates for public policy
that improves the lives of pets in underserved communities, and recently
launched Emancipet New School, which equips and inspires animal welfare
professionals in becoming change makers. Since it was founded in 1999,
Emancipet has spayed or neutered more than 250,000 dogs and cats and
each year serves more than 100,000 pets and their families. www.emancipet.org.

About PetSmart Charities

PetSmart Charities, Inc. is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that
saves the lives of homeless pets. Each year nearly 500,000 dogs and cats
find homes through our adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across
the U.S. and sponsored adoption events. Each year millions of PetSmart
shoppers contribute to PetSmart Charities to help pets in need by making
donations on a pin pad at the register. PetSmart Charities efficiently
uses 90 cents of every dollar to support its mission of finding
lifelong, loving homes for all pets. PetSmart Charities grants more
money to directly help pets in need than any other animal welfare group
in North America, with a focus on funding adoption and spay/neuter
programs that help communities solve pet overpopulation. PetSmart
Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization, independent from PetSmart, Inc.
PetSmart Charities has received the Four Star Rating for the past 13
years from Charity Navigator, an independent nonprofit that reports on
the effectiveness, accountability, and transparency of nonprofits,
placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this
organization. https://www.petsmartcharities.org

NOTE: High-res photos for media use available at this link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/e898h8vcxzuht2k/AADxDBOb_jLTT1eaXSIPku-ka?dl=0.
All photos by Steve Lubetkin for Emancipet.

Contacts

for Emancipet
Brenda Thompson, 512-461-5644
brenda@brendathompson.com