Village Pet Foundation - Incline Village, Nevada

Darrah Vaughan

I want to give a huge HUGE shout out to Patrica Abbey and the Village Pet Foundation for coming together to save my kitten's life.

My little tortie, Cheez, ate yarn on Monday. I'd hoped she'd cleared it through vomiting, but it became clear mid day that day that she probably hadn't. I panicked instantly, because I knew I couldn't afford images to confirm such a thing, and any type of surgery, if needed, would be out of the question.

Fortunately, I remembered seeing a recent post inq community facebook group where someone suggested VPF to a pet owner in need, so I decided to give it a shot.

Patricia responded within less than 10 minutes, and helped coordinate care for my kitten to get images done. Images confirmed that she would need emergency surgery, and wouldn't survive without it. I feared that I was going to have to do the most humane thing, and put her down, because again, surgery was not something I could make happen.

Patricia came through once again, calling several vets and emergency hospitals to see if anyone could take our kitten, all while working at a fervor to get payment assistance squared away for Cheez. Patricia told me to take her to Reno, and send her an estimate of cost ASAP, even if it was 3AM before I could get one. Once we got Cheez seen, and the estimate sent to Pat, it was literally less than a minute before Pat called to put down a deposit for Cheez to get her surgery.

To say I am blown away by how hard Pat worked to secure assistance for us, is an understatement. There are simply no words to express how deeply grateful I am to Pat and the board of VPF for everything. Thanks to them, Cheez's emergency operation was completely paid for. I didn't have to worry about if my baby would have to pay the price for my mistake of leaving yarn within her reach. I can never, ever thank them enough for coming together to save Cheez. She's not out of the woods yet, as she is still healing from this major surgery, but the important thing is that she has been given this chance.

Village Pet Foundation operates a thrift store in Incline Village, and the money they collect from the sales helps fund veterinary care for families in need. I wanted to get the word out, so that other families in need know that there is somewhere to turn, but I also wanted to let the Lake Tahoe community at large know about them, so that they can be thought of for donations of items to the thrift store, donations of money to them directly, or as a place to shop so that they can continue this amazing work. These folks are truly incredible, the work they do is something you can tell they are deeply deeply passionate about, this isn't just something they "do" - these animals and their owners mean something to them, they feel these needs personally, and that is the mark of true humanity.

It would take me a long time before I couple repay them financially, but, I know I can start by bringing awareness to them and their mission to save the lives the furry family members we hold dear.

Thank you, Patricia and Village Pet Foundation, from the bottom of our hearts. ❤️