Lauren Justice
UW vet students Melissa Hayes, left, and Katie Pratt examine Dixie, a 12-year-old bloodhound who belongs to a homeless woman.
Rose lives in a four-by-seven-foot trailer she built herself with salvaged materials, and she parks wherever she can. It’s a small space to share with an enormous red bloodhound, but Rose wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Dixie is a very important part of my life,” she says.
Rose, who cannot work due to medical problems, has brought 12-year-old Dixie in for a Saturday morning checkup at WisCARES, a unique free clinic associated with the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine.
Vet students Melissa Hayes and Katie Pratt spend an hour or so with Rose and Dixie, checking out an infection in Dixie’s eyes and ears, providing free medicine to clear it up, and discussing the importance of protecting her from parasites like intestinal and heart worms.
Rose (a pseudonym to protect her privacy) is one of about 180 homeless and very low-income people who are regular clients at the clinic, located in a tiny Quonset hut just off Fish Hatchery Road near the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry. St. Vinnies lends the building to WisCARES, which has been in operation for about 18 months.
Heading up the logistics at this clinic is William Gilles, a veterinarian and outreach specialist at the Vet School. The animal care is provided by 30 veterinarian students. Another 15 social work students work at the clinic to assist the human clients with finding housing, applying for jobs and accessing community services. Rounding out the staff are six pharmacy students.
The clinic has established partnerships with St. Vincent de Paul, the Salvation Army, the Social Justice Center, the Homeless Services Consortium and other social services organizations.
In addition to the medical services for cats and dogs, the program also offers free pet food and toys as well as temporary boarding at cooperating vet clinics when the pet owners need to check in to a shelter, where animals are not permitted.
Gilles says he got inspired to work with homeless and low-income people and pets while he was in vet school.
“The Humane Society estimates that 23 million pets never see a vet because their owners cannot afford it or because they live in what we call a vet care desert — places where there are no vets,” he says.
Currently, the clinic is able to provide only outpatient services, giving vaccines and treating for infections, parasites and skin problems. It is not equipped to administer anesthesia or do surgeries. Gilles has a dream that the clinic, which is currently at capacity, will grow.
“We would really like to expand to a larger space and be able to provide other services such as such as dentals and neutering,” he says.
But clients Tina Squires and her daughter, Brooke Kellerhuis, are grateful for the routine care the clinic provides their two German shepherds and two newly rescued kittens.
“I was complaining to a friend that my dogs needed to be vaccinated but I didn’t have any money,” Squires says. “My friend told me about this clinic, so we started coming.” Squires has a home, but since medical issues prevent her from working she struggles to live on a tiny income. She doesn’t know how she would manage caring for the pets without the free program.
And daughter Brooke, a La Follette High School student, who hopes to have a career in veterinary medicine, declares their home would be “very boring” without their pets.
As Brooke attests and any pet lover knows, companion animals make good company. But for Rose, Dixie has literally been a lifesaver. One of Rose’s medical problems is severe asthma, which she believes is a result of living for several years in an apartment contaminated with black mold.
“One night she woke me up because I had stopped breathing in my sleep,” Rose says. “Without her, I might have never woken up.”
Number of pets treated:
About 200 repeat visits.
Most common health issues:
Vaccinations, parasites, itchy skin, pain management for elderly pets with arthritis.
Number of clinics offered:
Every Saturday and Thursday with open hours for clients to pick up free food and other supplies.
How many clients are homeless:
About a third of the 180 people who have come more than once.
What other services are offered:
Temporary boarding and referrals to other community services to assist homeless and low-income people.