Financial Aid from

from Seacoast Bark Magazine February March 2023

Everyone Needs a Home

By Nancy Dewar

Many of us have experienced that terrible moment when one of the most cherished members of our family is having a medical emergency. We rush our cat or dog to the veterinarian. If we’re fortunate, we learn that there’s a procedure or medication that will help. However, for some people with limited financial resources, that prognosis can be terribly distressing.

To address this, NH Pet Aid was founded in 2021 by a group of Seacoast volunteers and pet-lovers. This non-profit organization provides one-time grants of up to $500 to qualified pet owners in financial need whose cat or dog faces a treatable, but potentially life-threatening, emergency.

The initial idea for this non-profit originated when long-time friends Diane Schaefer and Patty Scholz-Cohen were walking in the Urban Forestry Center one day. Patty is a board member of the non-profit Womenaid of Greater Portsmouth that provides short-term financial assistance to neighbors-in-need. She said to Diane, “I wonder if we could start a similar organization for pets?” Diane, a volunteer at the NHSPCA, understood the need first-hand. Some months later Patty got a call from a friend at GoodWork in Portsmouth, a non-profit that helps develop and strengthen other emerging non-profits. This friend had received a call from Dover veterinarian Dan Kelleher of Broadview Animal Hospital asking for guidance to start a nonprofit that could help pet owners pay for unexpected veterinary emergencies.

As often happens, forces in the universe aligned bringing the teams together. Patty and Diane both had vast experience in the non-profit sector. Dr. Kelleher had a small team from the medical world who wanted to be involved. Through the GoodWork connection, this group of animal-loving individuals came together to form NH Pet Aid.

According to Patty Scholz-Cohen, the organization has been very fortunate right from the start. “All start-up costs were donated and the ninemember Board of Directors is committed to covering all administrative expenses going forward. This means that 100% of all money raised goes directly to helping individuals and pets in need. We began fundraising a year ago and, thanks to the generosity of our founding donors and community members, we were able to start funding cases almost immediately.”

Currently, aid is limited to people residing in Rockingham or Strafford counties, but they hope to expand to other parts of the state as funding allows. In its brief existence, the organization has already helped several Seacoast residents pay for urgent medical care for their pets, including:

• Caesar, a dog needing anesthesia and stitches for a severe laceration

• Brother, a cat requiring an emergency procedure for an impacted bowel

• Sweet Pea, a dog having difficulty breathing and needing surgery to correct a soft palate

Several veterinary clinics are already partnering with NH Pet Aid, but they hope to increase awareness among more practices, as vets can inform people about this avenue for financial help. Individuals wishing to apply must fill out an application available on their website, provide a treatment estimate from the attending veterinarian and demonstrate financial need. (The organization doesn’t fund routine veterinary care.) Funding decisions are typically made within hours.

According to Wendy Munroe, a founding board member and Area Manager for Rarebreed Veterinary Partners, “The need is certainly there. Time and again we see clients who are forced to confront the heart-wrenching choice between saving their pet or paying their bills. I am so happy to be a part of starting this organization and offering pet owners the financial assistance to save their pet’s life in a moment of crisis. It’s really gratifying.”

The organization has received many heartwarming thank you notes from grateful pet owners, such as the one they recently received from a woman whose cat was hit by a car: “Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for helping us! Y'all are literal life savers, and we are so happy and lucky to have you in our lives to help save our very special boy.”

Please visit their website for more information, to apply for funding or to donate.

(nhPetAid.org) (Email: nhpetaid@gmail.com)