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People Assisting Animal Control receives grant to increase veterinary access

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  • People Assisting Animal Control
  • PAAC received at $10,000 grant to increase veterinary health care services to animals across the Coastal Bend
  • Several months ago, PAAC applied for the grant from Petco Love, a non-profit group aimed at helping animal groups in the U.S. with various services

Just in time for the new year, People Assisting Animal Control (PAAC) received a $10,000 grant from Petco Love to support lifesaving measures of providing more veterinary health care to animals across the Coastal Bend.

Petco Love is a non-profit organization that supports more than 4,000 animal groups by providing veterinary health care and over 6.75 million adoptions since 1999.

"That's the goal, to keep and their pets together, so let's give them the medical attention that they need," founder and PAAC President Cheryl Martinez said.

Martinez created PAAC in 2010 after working with the city of Corpus Christi's Animal Care Service Center. She noticed the intense need for more animal adoptions and medical care.

After providing services to hundreds of animals, Martinez opened a wellness clinic at the PAAC facility in 2015.

“We do surgeries now 5 days a week," Martinez said. " I have 5 doctors that work for me and we’re doing over 800 surgeries a month right now for the Coastal Bend area.”

The facility also provides animals with annual vaccinations, infection treatments as well as heart work, flea, and tick prevention.

“This grant is access to care," Martinez said. "There are several people in our country that just do not have access to care and most of it is for financial resources. So why not provide them with resources, so they can keep the pet?"

The $10,000 grant investment from Petco Love is part of a $1.5 million initiative to help over 100 spay/neuter clinics and other low-cost veterinary facilities.

Over the past 13 years, Martinez said she has helped more animals than she has ever imagined. She's hoping to continue her efforts in expanding proper medical care and also providing outreach opportunities to families and their four-legged friends.

PAAC serves seven counties in the Coastal Bend including Aransas County, Bee County, Jim Wells County, Kleberg County, Nueces County, San Patricio County and Refugio County.

For more information on how they're assisting animals, check out the PAAC and Petco Love website.

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