Humane society closer to opening clinic

  • Dr. Julie Grisham is the veterinarian who will be offering services at Humane Society of Blue Ridge’s new clinic. She is currently working with the group’s adoption center. Grisham graduated from Mississippi State College of Veterinary Medicine in 2022.
    Dr. Julie Grisham is the veterinarian who will be offering services at Humane Society of Blue Ridge’s new clinic. She is currently working with the group’s adoption center. Grisham graduated from Mississippi State College of Veterinary Medicine in 2022.
  • The new operation room at the humane society’s clinic is completed and waiting on equipment. It will allow for two surgeries to take place at the same time.
    The new operation room at the humane society’s clinic is completed and waiting on equipment. It will allow for two surgeries to take place at the same time.
  • The lobby/reception area of the new Humane Society of Blue Ridge clinic is shown almost completed with a view of the yard outside.
    The lobby/reception area of the new Humane Society of Blue Ridge clinic is shown almost completed with a view of the yard outside.

    The Humane Society of Blue Ridge is getting closer to opening its new low-cost veterinarian clinic for residents of Fannin County who may not be able to afford basic veterinary care for their pets.

    Construction of the clinic has been completed, and the facility is currently being outfitted with the required medical equipment and supplies.

    A new “wing,” which will also provide added space for the adoption center, has been added to house the clinic at the humane society’s shelter off Mineral Springs Road. The addition includes a new operating room, laundry, reception area just for the clinic, a holding area for pets who have been spayed or neutered, and an area for dogs allowing them to enter and exit an outside lot.

    Opening the clinic hinges on all the necessary equipment being received, as the humane society faces the same supply chain issues many businesses are dealing with, said Executive Director Diane Basco.

    The current plan is for the clinic to be open two days a week to those who qualify for appointments. Basco said, “We expect those days to be Mondays and Thursdays.” She said they will alternate appointments during the month between Wellness Exams, testing, vaccinations and spay/neuter surgeries. Closer to opening, the schedule will be posted on their website.

    The vet clinic will be closed on Tuesday, but the clinic will be open to provide care for the animals at the Humane Society adoption center along with the animals at Animal Control. Those services will include exams, testing, vaccinations, and spay/neuter surgeries as well.

    The clinic will also be closed on Wednesdays so they can perform spay/neuter surgeries for the feral cats that are brought in from the TNR (Trap, Neuter and Release) Program.

    The clinic is located at 171 Mineral Springs Road in Blue Ridge on the back side of the Adoption Center. For more information about the Humane Society of Blue Ridge or the new low-cost clinic, visit www.humanesocietyofblueridge.org.

    Funding that made the low-cost vet clinic possible came from “generous donations from the community as well as a large grant from the DJ&T Foundation,” according to Basco. She said that they hope to be able to open sometime in December of this year or January of next year.