PETA Gifts Southwest Virginia Its First-Ever Mobile Clinic to Expand Access to Veterinary Care
PETA’s mobile spay-and-neuter clinics are rolling into Galax again—and this time, one of them is here to stay. At a festive unveiling on Tuesday, PETA will hand over the keys to one of its state-of-the-art vehicles to the Twin County Humane Society, establishing Southwest Virginia’s first-ever mobile clinic and ensuring that the accessible sterilization services PETA and the humane society have long provided together can become a year-round resource in the region. Following the ceremony, members of the media are invited to tour the clinic and learn more about the services it will provide.
And because no ribbon-cutting ceremony would be complete without a little snip, PETA and the Twin County Humane Society will also work together to deliver free spay/neuter surgeries to nearly 300 cats and dogs on two additional PETA mobile clinics on Tuesday and Wednesday. This will be the fifth clinic since 2023, during which nearly 700 companion animals have been sterilized free of charge to their guardians.
Appointments are fully booked, underscoring the tremendous demand for affordable veterinary services in the region. The veterinary team will also vaccinate and microchip the animals.
When: Ribbon-cutting ceremony: Tuesday, Sept. 22, 11 a.m. to noon
Spay-and-neuter clinics: Tuesday, Sept. 22, and Wednesday, Sept. 23
Where: Twin County Humane Society, 21 Matthews St., Galax
“The homeless animal crisis is filling shelters to the brim and leaving countless dogs and cats with nowhere to go, and too many families in Southwest Virginia lack access to the affordable spay-and-neuter services that could stem the tide,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA is delighted to see the Twin County Humane Society take the wheel of the region’s first mobile spay-and-neuter clinic, which will bring care directly to communities that need it most and help reduce the number of animals entering already overburdened shelters.”
“The overwhelming number of homeless and unwanted animals is one of our community’s most persistent struggles,” says Twin County Humane Society Vice President Stephanie Kordick. “Year-round access to affordable spay-and-neuter surgeries is how we start shrinking those numbers and give more animals a chance, and we’re grateful to PETA for making this possible.”
PETA’s mobile clinics have sterilized over 258,000 animals since the program’s inception in 2001, preventing the births of hundreds of thousands of unwanted kittens and puppies. Sterilization also reduces or eliminates animals’ risk of suffering from several reproductive health issues and can lead to longer and happier lives.
The Twin County Humane Society aims to have its new mobile clinic taking appointments by mid-November. Donations to the humane society will help cover operating costs and ensure the clinic reaches as many cats and dogs as possible.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
