Bethel Friends of Canines recently won a “Taking Care of Business” award from the Humane Society. It’s an award that recognizes organizations that go above and beyond to help people keep their pets.
The organization has a grant through the Humane Society through a program called Pet’s for Life. Executive Director Jesslyn Elliot said geared toward helping people with some of the smaller expenses of keeping dogs.
“Leashes and collars, vaccines, spay neuters, things like that, that just those small things sometimes can just add up and add up and make people not be able to keep their pets,” Elliot said.
According to the Humane Society’s website, Pets For Life is a comprehensive, long-term approach to addressing the unfairness and lack of access to pet resources people experience in underserved communities like Alaska Natives. Pets for Life aims to provide free veterinary care, supplies, services and information to pet owners, to help owners keep their pets.
Bethel Friends of Canines, a nonprofit founded in summer of 2011, has been part of the Pets For Life program for more than three years. Since then, they have traveled to Eek, Atmautluak, Tuntutuliak, and Mountain Village, and held spay and neuter clinics as well as administered vaccines. Elliott says they’ve now added Nunapitchuk and Kasigluk to that list.
Elliott said pet health is community health.
“We're going to Chevak this week in partnership with another rescue too so you know, we're, we're really trying to get out there and get spay / neuter happening. You know, that's the root of our overpopulation issue,” she said.
Anyone can donate via their website - www.bethelfriendsofcanines.com. There is also information on their Facebook Page which includes fostering or adopting a pet.
