By R. Scott Nolen

Volunteer staff at the Doney Memorial Pet Clinic provide free veterinary care for as many as 45 patients in a two-hour span.For more than 20 years, the Doney Memorial Pet Clinic has been a refuge for Seattle pet owners unable to afford veterinary care for their companions.

Dr. Charles "Bud" Doney started the free clinic in 1983 in the basement of what was then a Christian coffee shop. He was moved by the plight of homeless pet owners he encountered in Pike Place Market and decided to do something about it.

Although Dr. Doney died two years after opening the clinic, his vision lives on today.

For two hours on the second and fourth Saturday of every month, up to 45 homeless and low income pet owners file into the basement of the Union Gospel Mission at 318 Second Ave. in Pioneer Square. There, a volunteer team of veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and others host the Doney Memorial Pet Clinic.

A pet is a priceless companion for many of Seattle's poor or homeless.The makeshift clinic operates at a kinetic pace. Upstairs, clients take a number and wait with their pets to be called into the basement. There's also an area to pick up donated pet food, blankets, and other items. Downstairs, on one side of the room, is a station where volunteers take the pet's information. On the other side, as many as three veterinarians and five veterinary technicians are busy talking to clients and treating animals.

Much of the work is standard fare. "You see just about everything you'd see in your practice—a lot of skin problems, a lot of gastrointestinal problems, and various injuries," said Dr. Stanley B. Coe, who took over the clinic when Dr. Doney died.

Certain pets require follow-up visits, which may involve a trip to one of the local veterinary hospitals that has partnered with the Doney clinic to treat some of the clinic's patients that have more serious conditions. Until Dr. Coe's retirement in 2001, patients that needed care beyond what the Doney team could provide were treated at his hospital for free.

For several years, a local laboratory has provided the clinic's diagnostic services at no charge, according to Dr. Coe.

Don Rolf has been with the Doney clinic 23 years, scheduling volunteers, ordering supplies, and collecting donations. It's mostly been cats and dogs brought to the clinic, but he's also seen rabbits, chickens, ferrets, and even a pot-bellied pig.

"It was really loud," Rolf recalled.

Like Dr. Coe, Rolf believes that Doney clients are especially attached to their pets, probably because of their circumstances.

"These people don't have a lot, and they tend to have a strong bond with their pets," Rolf said. "We try giving people a helping hand by allowing them to have that bond with their pet, and make things a little easier to keep their companions healthy."

The Doney clinic is a model for free veterinary clinics elsewhere, such as one in Sacramento, Calif., which was started after a group of veterinary students from the University of California-Davis spent time at Doney, according to Dr. Coe. "It's really good to know that the young people really care for things like that," he said.

Dr. Coe recommends veterinarians open free clinics in their own communities. "Just put the word out, and people will offer space to operate in. It also resonates with clients," he said. "They'd be amazed at how easy it is to get one
going."