Pets for Veterans at VECTR Center

The VECTR (Georgia Veterans Education Career Transition Resource) Center was crowded with people as well as pets on Saturday for the Pets for Veterans event. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., anyone was welcome to visit for a day that was “fun for the whole family,” according to their flyer. In partnership with United Way and Mission United, the VECTR Center hosted this occasion that was full of opportunities and entertainment; and you did not need to be a veteran to attend or enjoy services.

Trish Ross, COO (Chief Operating Officer) of the VECTR Center and 78th ABW (Air Base Wing) Vice Commander until 2014 and Scott Ross, director of Mission United (www.unitedwaycg.org/missionunited) at the United Way of Central Georgia (www.unitedwaycg.org) and United States Air Force Veteran, explained that AC Pup and Central Georgia C.A.R.E.S. (Critter Advocates Requesting Ethical Standards) coordinated with about seven local rescue groups for the event, including Pawsome Southern Rescue and Georgia Canine Rescue & Rehabilitation, Inc. You can learn more about Central Georgia C.A.R.E.S., an organization that helps homeless animals and promotes spaying, neutering, and ethical treatment for animals, at www.acpup.org.

There was a plethora of pets, over 45 dogs, available for on-site adoption with discounted rates for veterans and regular prices for non-veterans. All pets had up-to-date vaccinations and were already spayed or neutered and ready to take home. Pets help many people with day-to-day life, especially veterans suffering from conditions such as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

Pet vaccinations were also offered from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for free and reduced rates. Dr. George McCommon, DVM (doctor of veterinary medicine), Georgia Army National Guard veteran, and department head as well as associate professor at Fort Valley State University was on site providing free pet vaccinations for veterans. The prices were $10 for non-veterans and $20 for feline vaccinations.

As far as entertainment and more, Veterans High School pep band performed for the crowd, as well as Rutland Middle School’s Ag program and General’s cheerleading team. There was a bouncy house set up for children, a DJ playing music, and other acts for all ages, including demonstrations from Robins Air Force Base’s K-9 Unit and Freedom Fidos, an organization that obtains rescue dogs, trains them to become service animals, and provides them to veterans. Matt Burgess, veteran, co-founder, and director of Freedom Fidos had a booth set up where attendees could learn more about him and his cause. You can also visit: www.freedomfidos.org. There were also booths from Warner Robins Animal Control, A Dog’s Tale Dog Training & Consulting, and more.

Food was provided by Georgia Bob’s Barbecue Company. Middle Georgia Community Food Bank, an organization that solicits, transports, sorts, stores, and distributes millions of pounds of food each year, and executive director David Griffin were on site providing 400 Thanksgiving meal boxes. The VECTR Center also collected canned foods and new toys for the MGCFB and Family2Family to benefit veteran and military families in need. You can visit their websites at: https://www.mgcfb.org and http://www.family2familyfoundation.org/. For more information about the VECTR Center, visit: www.gavectr.org.