Home Van Pet Care Project News - December 2019

Our Mission:  To provide food for pets of homeless persons in our community; offer education on pet care and spay/neuter; assist with access to veterinary care; foster respect for animals and the animal/human bond.

"I woke up in between a Memory and a dream…" Tom Petty   We are now entering our 13th year.  We remain a small organization, with a handful of diedicated volunteers and a core group of supporters to whom we are very grateful.  Our budget is small and simple, with most going to the purchase of pet food and supplies, and transportation to get them to our clients.  Small donations keep us going.  Please consider donating to Home Van Pet Care Project this Giving Tuesday.  We promise your support will make a difference to people and animals in this community. This year we helped many pets in many ways.  Here are a few: Lucky's first owner died and when his next owner went to jail Home Van Pet Care stepped in. We're so grateful to Dr. Pearson and her wonderful staff at Micanopy Animal Hospital who kept Lucky safe and taught him some important behavioral lessons. Now he has a whole family to love him, and a fence and a yard where can run and play and never be tied up again!   You can tell by his smile that he knows! Home Van Pet Care Project took in Harvey, a small, senior terrier, after he was abandoned by his owner. He was super sweet but scared of his new situation.  We found a good foster parent for him, and All Cats veterinarian Patti Gordon gave him a badly needed dental cleaning.  After a while, his foster mom found a permanent adoptive home for him with a wonderful man.  It was rough for a while but little Harvey's a happy boy now!   Dignity Village dog Zeus was bitten in the face by a water moccasin. Thankfully HVPCP was able to get him quickly to the Emergency Clinic at the University of Florida Small Animal Hospital where he got a dose of anti-venin. Here he is back home with his discharge instructions, looking nearly as good as new.  (You should have seen his face when it was REALLY swollen!)  His mom was so happy to have her good boy back safe and sound. Changes coming in the new year As 2020 begins, our focus will be changing somewhat. When the old Tent City closed years ago,  Grace Marketplace was opened.  Grace is a homeless shelter and service center with dorms and offices to assist with housing and other needs.  At the same time, many people moved to a new tent city that grew up surrounding Grace Marketplace that came to be called Dignity Village. Many of the people living in Dignity Village have pets, which up to now have not been allowed in Grace. Soon Dignity Village will close and some of the residents will be moved onto the Grace campus where they can receive the same services as other residents of Grace.  We are happy to say that people with pets will be able to move there as well. Grace is presently establishing a pet care area on its campus.  In the beginning there will be tents on platforms with space for an igloo-style dog house, a kennel type area with dog runs, and a dog park. Best of all, there will be a climate controlled cat room! The tent area is temporary and emphasis will be placed on finding homes for former Dignity Village residents and their pets. The pet facilities at Grace, however, are designed to be permanent, so that newly homeless individuals moving to Grace will be able to stay there with their pets. This is a huge project and  according to Jon DeCarmine, Executive Director of Grace Marketplace, "Grace will be the first pet-friendly low barrier shelter in North Florida in 2020." Home Van Pet Care Project will be focusing on working with The Grace Pet Project in 2020. We are partnered with Humane Society of North Central Florida, St. Francis Pet Care, Grace Marketplace and The Wagmore Foundation. We are in good company and very happy to be able to help. Our Wish List Here is our wish list for Christmas and the new year for the pets.  We are asking for specific items since we are helping with a new start and need the basics. Dry Cat food:  Purina Friskies Seafood Sensation, dry food 16 lb. bags Canned cat food: Fancy Feast, small cans Dry Dog food: Purina Dog Chow, 20 lb. bags Canned Dog Food:  Mighty Dog, 12 a package or any number Milk Bone Dog Treats, any size Cat Treats Water bowls and good bowls for dogs and cats Sturdy leashes 5 or 6 ft. And, of course, we always appreciate and make good use of your financial donations! Donate Now Donations can be left at any of these locations: Sissets Home & Patio, 3429 W. University Ave., Gainesville, 32607, 352-224-5192 Micanopy Animal Hospital, 306 US-441, Micanopy FL 32667, 352-466-0067 The Groom Room, 1232 NW 50th Ave., Gainesvill, 32609 352-377-8591 All Cats Healthcare Clinic, 1034 NW 13th St., Gainesville, 32601 352-376-2287

Financial donations can be made by check payable to Home Van Pet Care Project, Inc., and mailed c/o Elizabeth Howard, P.O. Box 14305, Gainesville FL 32604; or by PayPal at our blog, http://homevanpetcareproject.blogspot.com. Money, food, and new or clean leashes, harnesses, collars, bowls, blankets and towels can be dropped off at Sisset's....A Fun Twist on Home & Patio, 3429 W University Ave., 352-224-5192.  For more information or to volunteer, call or text 352-246-2727. Also, don't forget our Amazon Wish List!  Or designate Home Van Pet Care Project as your beneficiary on Amazon Smile.

Home Van Pet Care Project News - June 2019

Dear Friends: Once again we must apologize for neglecting to send a timely newsletter. We will try to catch you up to date now.

Uncertain Future for Dignity Village As you may know, the Home Van Pet Care Project (HVPCP) has been feeding pets of homeless and low income citizens of our community for 12 years now. That is our primary mission.  We go to downtown Gainesville and distribute pet food once a week, and we spend a lot of time at Dignity Village, the tent city that grew up around the Grace Marketplace homeless center.  Here is Dignity dog Zyless enjoying a snack. Recently both City and County approved the closing of Dignity Village, under the direction of Jon DeCarmine, Executive Director of the Alachua County Coalition for the Homeless and Hungry. The Gainesville Sun did a good job of summing up DeCarmine's plan in a May 8 article. There are 200-250 people living in Dignity Village at this time. Twenty to 25 people have pets, and we count between 25-40 dogs and a dozen cats. We are concerned about the owners and pets. Part of our mission is to nurture the animal/human bond. We don't want anyone to have to give up their pets so they can have a place to live.  HVPCP has been helping to transition Dignity Village residents by paying pet deposits and providing supplies.

Do you have a home for Lucky? Lucky lived in Dignity Village for about six months. When he was first brought in, he was terribly thin and his coat was in poor condition.  With good care at the monthly Dignity Village veterinary clinic and good quality food from the HVPCP, he turned into a great-looking boy.  However, he was kept tied out most of the time. His first owner died and another person took care of him, but not very well. Finally we were able to take custody of Lucky. Now Lucky is being safely being boarded but he really deserves a real home.  He's paid his dues.  He's a very good boy who richly deserves someone to love him and take good care of him forever.

Lucky is happy at the vet. And he loves a belly rub!

The Challenge of Veterinary Care St. Francis Pet Care and the Home Van Pet Care Project make a monthly veterinary clinic available to residents of Dignity Village and Grace Marketplace. Pets can get checkups, vaccinations, flea/tick and heartworm preventives, and referral and transport to spay/neuter where we supply a microchip. I wish we could erect statues to Patti Gordon, DVM, who runs the Dignity clinic, and Molly Pearson, DVM, for their work every month at this clinic.  We should also give cookies and thanks to all the wonderful veterinary techs, community volunteers and veterinarians who make these clinics happen. There are also times when we need services not available at the monthly clinics. Since the beginning of this year we have called on vets at the UF Veterinary Community Outreach Program, the Haile Plantation Animal Clinic, and the Micanopy Animal Hospital, all of whom were generous with their time and services. We especially want to thank Dr. Hampton and the staff at Gainesville Animal Hospital West for their help recently. We had an emergency situation in which the service dog of a homeless woman was viciously attacked.  Everyone at GAH West was wonderful in providing excellent and compassionate care for this dog, even staying open for hours after their scheduled closing time. We appreciate their caring and expertise in a difficult and stressful situation.

And by the way... Our own Project became homeless on short notice in March.  We had to relocate our downtown distribution place, which is now at the corner of SE 4th Ave. and SE 6th Terrace, right beside the Community Garden.  We also had to move out of our pet food storage and preparation place. Through the intervention of Home Van Pet Care Project volunteer Trey Anderson we have the temporary use of some space in a very convenient location. However, we need a permanent home soon.  We need at least 200 square feet of climate controlled space; a table or counter space would be nice.  We can pay a small amount monthly.  If you have or know of any space that might do, please let us know.

Our Wish List As always, we need financial donations of any amount.  Gift cards for Publix, Walmart, Earth Pets or Pet Supermarket are also greatly appreciated.  If you donate to our Relocation Fund, we use those funds to help people moving out of tents and into housing with pet deposits and helpful items (collars, leashes, harnesses, food bowls and water bowls, cable "tie-outs.") We need all sizes and strength of leashes, food bowls and water bowls for both cats and dogs, and plastic cat carriers. We need dry dog food (Purina Dog Chow in green bags) and dry cat food (Friskies Seafood Sensation in blue bags),  Fancy Feast canned cat food for cats and Mighty Dog canned dog food.  We try to deliver the same type of pet food all the time so the animals don't have to adjust to different diets all the time.  However, we'll take any kind of dog or cat treats! Thank you for all your donations and for supporting us with your good wishes.

Two of our Dignity dogs:  Smokey        and Tank Donations can be left at any of these locations: Sissets Home & Patio, 3429 W. University Ave., Gainesville, 32607, 352-224-5192 Micanopy Animal Hospital, 306 US-441, Micanopy FL 32667, 352-466-0067 The Groom Room, 1232 NW 50th Ave., Gainesvill, 32609 352-377-8591 All Cats Healthcare Clinic, 1034 NW 13th St., Gainesville, 32601 352-376-2287 Financial donations can be made by check payable to Home Van Pet Care Project, Inc., and mailed c/o Elizabeth Howard, P.O. Box 14305, Gainesville FL 32604; or by PayPal at our blog, http://homevanpetcareproject.blogspot.com. Money, food, and new or clean leashes, harnesses, collars, bowls, blankets and towels can be dropped off at Sisset's....A Fun Twist on Home & Patio, 3429 W University Ave., 352-224-5192.  For more information or to volunteer, call or text 352-246-2727. Also, don't forget our Amazon Wish List!  Or designate Home Van Pet Care Project as your beneficiary on Amazon Smile.