Utah Humane Society expands clinic services to St. George

Murray, UT (Sept. 24, 2019) — Affordable spay and neuter services needed for pets in Washington County  

The Utah Humane Society Board of Directors has approved the opening of an affordable spay, neuter, and vaccination clinic in St. George, Utah to help address the animal welfare needs of Washington County. The organization is actively seeking a full-time veterinarian and office space where the clinic can operate. Pending the hiring of a veterinarian and additional staff, the anticipated opening of the clinic will be in 2020. St. George, the largest city in Washington County, is the third fastest-growing community in the United States according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report. Washington County is an underserved animal welfare area with ten shelters and rescue groups and two veterinary clinics. The largest shelter has 15 dog kennels.  

“We realize that the St. George population is growing and there is a desperate need for spay and neuter services to control the pet population,” said Vaughn Maurice, Utah Humane Society executive director. “Local shelters handle over 13,000 animals each year, and the community does not have affordable options for pet sterilization. We can help by extending clinic services to the public now and assessing the need for additional pet resources in the future.” Job opportunities are available for a veterinarian as well as a Southern Utah executive and humane education coordinator for the Washington County area. 

The Humane Society of Utah is a local, independent 501(c)(3) private nonprofit organization. It is not a branch of the Humane Society of the United States. The animal welfare organization does not receive any state or federal funding and relies solely on donations and support from the community. To view available job opportunities, visit UtahHumane.org/jobs. Please contact [email protected] with information about potential properties for lease or sale that could be used as a clinic location. ###

What is Coordinated Entry?

A Coordinated Entry System (CES) is a process to ensure that people with pets who are experiencing a resource or housing crisis are quickly identified, assessed, referred, and connected to available resources.

The Humane Society of Utah uses a Coordinated Entry System (CES) to save more lives. The Coordinated Entry System was developed through models in animal welfare known as managed admissions programs and through the body of work of human services agencies to help people facing a housing crisis. In launching our CES, we will work to streamline and connect our community with holistic resources to better serve their individual needs. CES streamlines the process of finding resources and housing for animals facing homelessness with the goal of housing the most vulnerable animals first and helping families keep their pets whenever possible.