Nationally, between 10-24% of homeless individuals own a pet. In the Atlanta area, that translates into 1500 to 3500 pets who do not receive basic veterinary services including examinations, preventive medicine, vaccines, or adequate food specifically designed for animals. Homeless Pet Initiative, Inc., is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide free veterinary care and services for
animals that are pets of homeless individuals in the metropolitan Atlanta area. The purpose of providing this type of care is to benefit:
*the pets, who otherwise would not receive veterinary services of any kind due to owner’s lack of financial resources;
*the homeless individuals who own pets, who often rely on their pets for their only companionship, and who often rely on the human-animal bond as their only therapeutic interaction;
*the community at large, to prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases. Homeless Pet Initiative, Inc., is a mobile veterinary clinic that travels to key locations where large numbers of homeless individuals are located, providing vaccines, deworming, preventive medicine, food for the pets, grooming, and examinations at no charge to the pet owners. relies on volunteer veterinary and veterinary technician services to provide the services, as well as donations of food and medicine from outside resources, and financial support through donations to provide any additional needs for the pets being served.
