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FORT COLLINS, Colo. — It’s been said if you do what you love, you’ll love what you do.
“Your job is like a third to half of your life, and if you hate it and you make lots of money – are you happy? I don’t think so,” said Dr. Tracy Thomas, owner of Elder Pet Care veterinary clinic in Ft. Collins.
For Dr. Thomas, her job is her passion.
“Right out of school I saw that senior (citizens) benefited from having pets,” Thomas said. “And many of them couldn’t afford veterinary care. And that was a long time ago.”
Now, it’s perhaps even more challenging.
“You can’t walk into a veterinarian’s office in this town for less than $75,” said one of the Thomas’ customers. “Just to walk through the doors.”
“It just kind of touched my heart and I was like, ‘this is an area that I could fill,’” Thomas said.
Filling a gap – Dr. Thomas and her staff provide low cost vet care to fixed income and low income seniors.
“It is such a rewarding experience getting to do this kind of stuff,” said Delaney Needham, one of Thomas’ assistants.
“It’s not just the animal you’re helping,” Thomas said. “You’re helping the individual to be more healthy.”
A couple months ago, when rent prices skyrocketed, we first introduced you to Thomas and launched a Contact7 Gives campaign to help with rent costs. Because of your generosity, we were able to deliver a check for $3,700 to pay the rent for several months.
Then, the clinic’s X-ray machine went down, and you, our viewers, stepped up again – giving us yet another opportunity to deliver more good news.
“$2,800!” Thomas said while opening the check. “Isn’t that awesome?”
“I’m just amazed at how generous people can be,” Needham said. “They’ve never been here. They’ve never had a pet come here, but they just see the need.”
Generosity that will help pay for a new portable X-ray machine — and keep a passion project moving forward.
“What a wonderful gift,” Thomas said.
If you'd like to donate to Elder Pet Care, you can do so by clicking on this link.
