On Saturday, July 27th, Nutmeg Spay/Neuter Clinic held it first-ever vaccine clinic. We have been discussing this for a while, and after much staff urging, we decided to go ahead. It was our first time, and not knowing what the turnout would be, we set it up on a first-come, first-serve basis. When we arrived at 8:00 AM to set up for a 10 AM start time, people and their pets filled our parking lot and spilled into the street. We knew that this was going to be a challenging but exciting day.
Once we made our way through the crowd, we signed up 126 animals for vaccines and microchips. It was a warm and sunny day; everyone was waiting patiently, and things took longer than expected. Scheduled initially from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, we finished closer to 2:45, and in this time frame, we had to cut back to a final total of 94 cats and dogs served. Of those people we signed up and could not serve, we spoke to them and told them that we would be unable to do so today, and they couldn’t have been kinder and more understanding. They saw what we saw and how so many people needed the services. We gave them options for alternatives and sent them home with our apologies. This number did not include the people we turned away without documenting simply because we had already gotten to a number that was too large for us to accommodate.
I learned that day how great the need is for the affordable services we were offering. We are, first and foremost, a spay/neuter clinic and are more than familiar with the demand for those services. We book out months in advance and still can’t get to everyone as quickly as we would like. This vaccine clinic was a new experience altogether. Seeing everyone gathered with their pets and earnestly wanting to get them this care has profoundly impacted me. We can’t do enough to serve the community how we would like. But we do it to the best of our ability and with kindness and compassion.
I also learned (but really knew) how amazing the Nutmeg team is. I cannot thank my staff and volunteers enough because this event would not have been possible without them. Their hard work and compassion for people and their pets really shone through. It was a hard day, but they made it look effortless. I am grateful to have them as my team.
I also want to thank everyone who came out with their pets. For those we could see, I hope you are happy with what we provided and feel we treated you and your pet kindly and courteously. For those we were not able to see, and who were so patient, my most sincere apologies. It was hard for us to turn you away, but we had no idea so many people would show up.
Thanks to the Stratford Cat Project and G-Vaz Care Services, LLC for joining us. They were a tremendous support and enjoyed interacting with the crowd.
Special thanks to the Petco Love foundation for their ongoing support by providing our clinic with canine and feline distemper vaccines which we provide to the community at no cost.
We have already begun discussing changes we can make to make our next vaccine clinic even more successful. We hope to continue holding these events so everyone who needs them will be able to get these services for their pets. Thank you again to all who attended. If we were unable to serve you, please be on the lookout for our next clinic.
With gratitude,
Clara
Nutmeg Clinic is a non-profit organization that relies on donations and grants in order to provide reduced cost services to all. Please consider donating. A monetary gift of any size is helpful. Looking for other ways to support us? Visit our How You Can Help page.
