Nov 29: Someone's reason for living can be your reason for giving

When Karen noticed her dog Buddy was in pain due to a large and growing bulge on his body, she desperately attempted to save up for a vet appointment — but she simply couldn’t afford it.

Luckily, Karen met Dr. Kwane Stewart, the co-founder of Project Street Vet, a non-profit that provides free veterinary care, treatment and support to the pets of people experiencing houselessness. Upon examination, Dr. Stewart discovered that Buddy had one of the largest perineal hernias he had ever seen and needed surgery. 

Perineal hernias happen when the pelvic diaphragm becomes weakened, displacing organs into surrounding areas. The cause of these hernias isn’t totally understood, but Buddy needed surgery to correct the issue and relieve his pain. When Dr. Stewart told Karen that Project Street Vet could provide care free of cost, she broke down in tears. 

For Karen, Buddy had become her travel partner and “reason for living” — a narrative common among all of Project Street Vet's clients. And this year alone, Project Street Vet has supported more than 400 pets and ensured that all client cases were free of charge. 

Project Street Vet is able to provide this essential and often life-saving care with support from animal-loving individuals and partners like Fetch. That’s why we’ve launched a matching-gift campaign called 101 Donations — every dollar donated to Project Street Vet will be matched up to $101,000 through the end of the year.

RELATED: Project Street Vet helps pets of those experiencing houselessness

And in honor of Giving Tuesday on November 29th (aka the second largest day of the year for giving), Fetch and Project Street Vet will be raising awareness and engaging donors via our social platforms to secure as many gifts as possible. 

Fetch has long supported animal services organizations, and no-kill shelter partners, in particular, providing more than $1.8 million in donations since 2018. This year, and the partnership with Project Street Vet, marks an important expansion of social impact efforts to improve access to veterinary care for those that need it most. 

A nationwide shortage of affordable veterinarian care, especially for those who live in rural or low-income areas, forces families to give up pets they love but lack the means to support. Even before the pandemic and recent economic challenges caused by inflation, at least 19 million pets resided with families living under the federal poverty line, and millions more lived in working families struggling to get by.

Fetch’s mission is to help pet parents give their pets a happier, healthier and longer life. The pet parents that have a fierce and unbreakable bond with their pet. The ones that think of their cats or dogs before themselves. We champion this bond with no exception and so we’re proud to support Project Street Vet.