On a brisk winter morning, six¹ of the Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program (MSMP) team loaded up two large vans to head four hours north to Akwesasne Animal Society, located on the St. Regis Mohawk (Akwesasne) reservation. This land spans 28,000 acres and extends into both the United States and Canada.
Jenna Herne, LVT and President/Founder of Akwesasne Animal Society, runs the 501(c)(3) non-profit to provide assistance to the animals and their owners in the community. Akwesasne Animal Society routinely provides vaccine clinics, a pet pantry and a variety of additional outreach events.
MSMP was happy to answer the call from Herne to provide a spay/neuter clinic February 8-10, 2025 at no-cost for community members located both on and off of the reservation.
One client said:
I felt comfortable leaving my babe there and now I have one less thing to worry about. There aren’t too many places left in the world that do things so selfless and with good intentions and it was really cool to see that and it was really cool for you guys to open it up to the community too. Definitely worth the hour drive.
Our team consisted of:
- 6 MSMP faculty/staff
- 1 CVT from RAVS
- Jenna Herne-clinic organizer
This clinic would also not have been possible if it weren’t for the various local volunteers who were willing to dedicate their weekend to help wherever and whenever it was needed. Duties performed included:
- Helping with cat intake/registration
- Assisting in recovery
- Feeding/transporting cats
- Instrument/autoclave cleaning
THANK YOU, all!
MSMP was able to serve 153 cats total over the course of three days that received spay/neuter services, vaccines and additional preventative treatment/care.
We’re grateful we were able to help the Akwesasne community receive greater access to care, #ThankstoMaddie.
For more photos, visit our Facebook page @CUMSMP
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1. Dr. Jessica Reed, Janet L. Swanson Director of Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program
Dr. Ali Lindsay, Clinical Instructor
Suzette Moschetti, Program Coordinator
Kelsey Arrison, LVT Section Supervisor
Dr. Megan Barry, Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Intern
Dr. Kara Kochek, Janet L. Swanson Intern of Shelter Medicine
