by Alex Garland
The building at 1101 Airport Way S. sat empty for months before a member of King County Facilities connected with a board member with ties to a 30-year-old pet clinic for low-income and homeless pet owners.
The City has rented a series of buildings and parking lots along Airport Way South, and although a homeless shelter was planned for that location, the neighbors (BMW Seattle, among others) complained, and the building remained empty. Now, a pet clinic for pets owned by Seattle's unhoused and low-income residents have a place for services.
With its start 30 years ago as a mobile clinic, Doney Coe met even more challenges during the pandemic. Volunteers stepped up, and partnerships with organizations, like pet insurance company Trupanion and veterinary clinic Urban Animal, provided essential support. From makeshift locations such as school basements and parking garages, the clinic persevered, ensuring its pet patients received the care they needed.
Now with a home base and equipped with medical equipment like X-ray and anesthesia machines, Doney Coe is poised to expand its services. Beyond its initial offerings of medical treatments and dental exams, the clinic now offers compassionate end-of-life care, including free euthanasia services and options for pet cremation.
Michelle Kelley, a volunteer and board member for the clinic, took the Emerald on a tour of the facility and explained why free and low-cost veterinary care is so meaningful. "You can keep animals out of shelters if you can help their owners, who still want to have them, with the costs of owning the animal," she said. "It benefits King County Animal Control, it benefits Seattle Animal Control, it benefits all these places for us to be here, so that these folks don't have to surrender their animals because they can't find them care and they can't afford them anymore."
To learn more about Doney Coe Pet Clinic's low-cost, compassionate care for Seattle's furry friends, visit its website.
Alex Garland is a photojournalist and reporter. With a degree in emergency administration and disaster planning from the University of North Texas, Alex spent his early professional career as a GIS analyst for FEMA. Follow him on Twitter.
📸 Featured Image: Charlie gets a checkup at Doney Coe Pet Clinic. (Photo: Alex Garland)
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