The Placencia Humane Society began in 1999 in response to the lack of any veterinary care on the Placencia Peninsula.
Back then, our goal was simple – bring in a vet every few months to take care of vaccinations, mange, tick fever (ehrlichea), TVT (sexually transmitted venereal tumors) spay and neuter. Clinics were sometimes held under raised houses, in tents, vacant buildings – wherever and whenever. We sometimes had no running water, no lighting other than the sun and definitely no equipment.
But, with the help of Dr. Mike DeShield and his wife and primary vet assistant, Miriam DeShield, it worked. More pets received semi-regular veterinary care, more pets were saved from death by tick fever and TVT.
However, PHS Board members and volunteers recognized that more needed to be done – too many people on the Peninsula and in surrounding areas simply couldn’t afford pet care – and too many unwanted puppies and kittens were being born.
With regular veterinary clinics finally established (although still without a permanent home), PHS then turned its attention to funding the cost of veterinary care for more people and their pets — and encouraging spaying and neutering for all pets. PHS also established a feral cat program to trap, spay/neuter and release feral cats to reduce the ever-burgeoning numbers of ferals on the Peninsula. Rescues of abused and abandoned animals and fostering of unwanted pets additionally became a core PHS program.
Emergency veterinary care still remains a difficult issue – as does funding to finance spays and neuters, the feral cat program, underwriting basic veterinary care for those who can’t afford it and keeping the clinic running.
We do thank you for your interest in the Placencia Humane Society. We hope you will find the information you need in these pages – but if you can’t find what you’re looking for, don’t hesitate to contact us by E-Mail, phone (613-7387), WhatsApp (501-613-7387), or through our Facebook page.
Or, just stop by one of our Vet Clinics or events (see our calendar for more information) – we look forward to meeting you – and your pets!