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Fall 2020

Tales from the Bark Side

Catching Up on Spay/Neuter Operations

In order to preserve PPE supplies at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maryland State Veterinary Board prohibited nonessential procedures for about two months, and specified that routine spay/neuter was nonessential. When our spay/neuter clinic reopened at the end of May, we began working through a long list of postponed surgeries. To minimize exposure and comply with social distancing requirements, we instituted curbside service and scaled back our usual number of veterinary staff and volunteers. Thanks to our awesome veterinary staff's willingness to add more surgery days, we’ve been able to slowly catch up.

We used to accept pay clients from all over, but we’re currently targeting our services to Prince George’s County residents most in need. These pet owners receive free sterilization surgery for their pets, thanks in part to grants from the State of Maryland Spay/Neuter Fund and the Snyder Foundation. Our new clinic appointment page, designed by our IT guru Jason G., poses a series of questions to direct qualified clients to the application and provides a list of affordable spay/neuter providers in the area for everyone else.

We’re also offering low-cost spay/neuter for free-roaming cats. The county is overrun with stray cats, too many of whom are reproducing. We're working with feral-focused groups to combat the county’s stray cat problem. More on this in our next issue!

Since our low-cost clinic opened in 2001, we have altered almost 24,500 animals, many for free. We’re so grateful to be able to provide this much-needed service to the community, and we couldn’t do it without the support of grantmakers and our donors!
Our Awesome Clinic Interns!
A huge part of our clinic's success is thanks to our great interns! We were delighted that three of them chose to return for another year, and we welcome four new interns to the program this year! We couldn't do it without them.

Hello, my name is Kevin and this will be my second year as the PGSPCA clinic’s management intern! I first became interested in the veterinary field in high school, when I realized I had a passion for both science and animal health. I hope to practice small animal medicine, as cats and dogs interest me the most. At home I have a border collie, a reef aquarium, and a hedgehog named Sonia!
Kevin de-stressing with a cute Golden Retriever puppy

Hi, my name is Esther and I’m returning for my second year as a PGSPCA clinic intern. I have always loved being around animals. I’ve had several pets: dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, turtles, and fish. I was fascinated by all the different species and how my vets cared for them. I am an Animal Science major at UMD and am planning on veterinary school; I have yet to decide whether I want to focus on mixed practice or exotics. Currently, I work in a lab at UMD with songbirds, and I have adopted a few!
Esther in class with her lamb that she raised from birth

Hi, my name is Kruti! This is my second year as a PGSPCA clinic intern. I’ve always been passionate about taking care of animals, including my pet cockatiel, Zazu. My high school internship at the Marriottsville Animal Hospital really sparked my interest in veterinary medicine. I hope to work with exotics and eventually in wildlife and conservation.
Kruti at a petting zoo getting up close and personal with one of the camels

Hi, I’m Betsy, a sophomore Animal Science major at the University of Maryland. After graduating, I plan to attend veterinary school and pursue zoo medicine and conservation. I love taking care of my pets (dog, cat, rats, and a gecko), as well as making art and painting in my free time.
Betsy and her rescue dog Toby



My name is Brynn and I am a junior Animal Science major/Art History minor on the pre-veterinary track at UMD. After I graduate, I hope to attend veterinary school and become a mixed small- and large-animal veterinarian. My family has two rescue pups, both of whom are spoiled rotten. I also have two pet rats who keep me company while I'm at school. I am excited to have the opportunity to help keep the animals in our community happy and healthy!
Brynn with Lia, who has since outgrown her Santa costume, but not her wrinkles

Hi I’m Savannah, a third-year Animal Science major at the University of Maryland. After graduation, I plan to attend veterinary school. I enjoy going on hikes with my family and my dog Jonah (pictured), who is a year and a half old Doberman mix.
Savannah relaxing with Jonah


Hi! My name is Dani, and I grew up on a farm on the Eastern Shore where we raised beef cattle and chickens. I'm a junior at UMD majoring in Animal Science, and I work as a technician at a local veterinary hospital. After graduation, I plan on attending veterinary school to pursue either large animal or exotic veterinary medicine. I have 2 dogs, Avery and Aspen, who love to hike as much as I do. (I currently have over 100 houseplants in my apartment.)
Dani and her dog Avery enjoying the great outdoors
. . .
Our clinic intern program is just one way we're working to improve the lives of tomorrow’s animals; we also proudly fund an annual University of Maryland TerpStart scholarship for pre-vet undergraduate students. With these efforts we hope to contribute to the humane education of tomorrow’s veterinarians!

July–October 2019
Making a Difference


384
Animals altered at our spay/neuter clinic (most for free)

538
Assistance and abuse calls handled on our 24-hour hotline

50
Cats and dogs adopted into their forever homes
An Adoption Success Story

We want to start featuring some of our adopted friends! Everything we do is for them, and we are beyond happy to see them go to their fur-ever homes. In this newsletter, we want to introduce you to Steve!

Name: Steve
Approximate Age: 12 years
Favorite Treat: Anything he can steal from his 3-year-old human sister
Favorite Toy: Orange soccer ball (a large Chuckit! ball)
Best Friend: Steve's besties include his dog sister Ella, best dog friends Reese and Austin, and cat brother Tommy 
Pet Peeve: Steve doesn't like it when someone is in his spot on the sofa. 
From Steve's Mom: I remember the day we went to visit Steve, then called Shadow. There was an adoption event in Annapolis. I went there specifically to look at Shadow. That gray face was hard to resist. My husband and I arrived before Shadow and we waited patiently. Faith arrived, who was fostering Shadow, and he immediately peed on a bag of dog food. Then we hung out with Shadow for a bit and our other dog seemed to enjoy him. Faith came over to the house after the event for a house visit. He chased the cat under the bed, and we did a temporary adoption to see if the situation got better. Well, after the first swipe to the face, they became instant buddies. Now, to this day, they sleep close to each other. We quickly changed his name to Steve—now Old Man Steve.


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IMPORTANT: Due to the pandemic, many of our in-person events are cancelled. Be sure to view the online calendar at www.pgspca.org/events to confirm times and locations.
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Visit our website to see our adoptable animals! Visit our website to see our adoptable animals!
Thank you to our PGSPCA Tales from the Barkside volunteers:
Co-Editors: Faith Weiner, Tamela Terry
Contributing Writers: Hannah MacLean, Faith Weiner
Design: Kerry McCutcheon

The SPCA/Humane Society of Prince George’s County, Inc. is a non-profit organization of volunteers dedicated to animal welfare. We do not operate the county shelter. We are chartered by the State of Maryland, but we receive no state or county funds. Our activities are supported solely by contributions, dues, and fundraising events.






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SPCA/Humane Society of Prince George's County · PO Box 925 · Bowie, MD 20718 · USA