Emancipet

Low Cost Vet Clinics

Press Room

Where Mission Meets Media

Emancipet Holiday Haul

Here at Emancipet, we’re on a mission to make vet care affordable, accessible and inclusive for all pet owners. Doing this type of work doesn’t happen in a vacuum. We are dependent on and so grateful for all of our partners in the media. A mission like ours relies on a public platform. We’d be happy to work with the press to create win/win scenarios for everyone (especially for pets!). Thank you!

Media Inquiries

Want to request an interview? Get a quote? All inquiries can be made to our Development Department!

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Media Resources

Nobody likes to hunt around for the essentials. Take a look below to meet our senior team and download our approved logo.

Leadership Team Information

Our Emancipet Leadership page includes photos and short bios of our leadership team. For direct quotes from any of these individuals, please inquire with our Development Department.

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Logo Usage

Navy Blue Emancipet Logo 2023

Above is our official Emancipet logo approved for downloads and media usage. Alternate logos are available here. Please note that these logos are not approved for alteration.

Alternate Logos

We’ve broken out media coverage by market that we serve.

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Houston PetTalk Magazine:

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Houston PetTalk Magazine:

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Houston PetTalk Magazine:

Additional Media Highlights:

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Press Releases

Oct. 10, 2018

Emancipet’s 4PAWS (For People and Animals Without Shelter) program gets 25 percent boost in funding

AUSTIN— Emancipet, the nonprofit organization that makes high-quality, low-cost veterinary care accessible to all, has received a grant for more than $31,000 from PetSmart Charities for its 4PAWS (For People and Animals Without Shelter) program.

Emancipet’s 4PAWS program helps homeless individuals keep their pets healthy by providing free services like spay/neuter surgery, vaccines, or specialty surgery—at no cost to the pet owner. It’s part of Emancipet’s mission to keep people and pets together, regardless of the pet owner’s economic status. The program will serve 150 homeless pet owners over a 12-month period, thanks to the generous grant from PetSmart Charities.  

“We know firsthand what a critical source of love and comfort animal companionship is during difficult times. The 4PAWS program is changing lives for those experiencing homelessness. A pet can be a trusted companion during times of loneliness, or the reason to persevere when life feels overwhelming,” says Emancipet CEO Amy Mills.  

Emancipet’s philosophy is that no animal should be turned away because of the pet owner’s lack of financial resources. Under the 4PAWS program, pet owners are eligible for free services through self-verification of homelessness or third-party referrals, typically from social service programs that provide supportive services to homeless individuals.

Jason is a 4PAWS client who recently visited Emancipet with Mixxie, his pit bull mix who is also his service dog and a beloved member of his family. While serving in the Army, Jason sustained permanent nerve damage and had trouble rejoining civilian life. He lost his apartment, and eventually became homeless.

“Everything changed when Mixxie came into my life. I’m so grateful to Emancipet for helping me with her medical care. It means so much to be able to keep her healthy, cherished, and happily by my side,” Jason says.

The budget for this program includes staffing for veterinarians and veterinary technicians, medical supplies for the pets, office and non-medical supplies, and other expenses.

“Every pet parent wants the best for their pet and should never have to decide between providing for their health and wellness or surrendering them,” said Kelly Balthazor, regional relationship manager at PetSmart Charities. “By lending our support to Emancipet’s 4PAWS program, local pet parents in need may not  have to make that choice because their pet will have access to quality care – no matter their economic or housing status.”

To learn more or make a donation to help further fund Emancipet’s critical work with the 4PAWS program, visit emancipet.org.

About Emancipet

Emancipet’s mission is to make veterinary care affordable and accessible for all pet owners. To achieve this, Emancipet is building a national nonprofit low-cost veterinary care system, with clinics in underserved areas of Austin, Houston, Killeen, and Pflugerville Texas; and in Philadelphia. Emancipet advocates for public policy that improves the lives of pets in underserved communities, and operates Emancipet New School, which equips and inspires animal welfare professionals in becoming change makers. Since its founding in 1999, Emancipet has spayed or neutered more than 325,000 dogs and cats and will serve more than 100,000 pets and their families this year. www.emancipet.org

About PetSmart Charities®
PetSmart Charities, Inc. is a nonprofit animal welfare organization with a mission to find lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together. In addition to finding homes for almost 500,000 shelter pets each year through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities provides funding to non-profits aligned with its mission through four key areas of grant support: Preventing Pet Homelessness; Helping Shelter Pets Thrive; Supporting the Bond Between People and Pets; and Emergency Relief and Disaster Support. Each year, millions of generous PetSmart shoppers help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities using the pin pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses 90 cents of every dollar donated and has become the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, donating about $300 million to date. PetSmart Charities, a 501(c)(3) organization, has received the Four Star Rating from Charity Navigator, an independent organization that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits, for the past 14 years in a row– placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this organization. To learn more, visit www.petsmartcharities.org.

May 31, 2018

AUSTIN— The Rachael Ray Foundation™, which helps animals in need, has made a significant donation to Emancipet to establish the Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® Helping Paws Fund. Emancipet is a nonprofit organization on a mission to make veterinary care affordable and accessible to every pet owner.

Emancipet operates seven low-cost pet clinics inside underserved areas, and their prices are set very low to increase access and affordability for pet owners in need. The Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® Helping Paws Fund will provide financial aid for pet owners in extreme situations who can’t even afford Emancipet’s very low prices. The financial aid may be applied towards additional discounts or free services at Emancipet’s clinics for people who need more help pay for their pets medical needs and keep their pets.

The new fund will be available to help clients at any of Emancipet’s clinics in Austin, Houston, Killeen, Pflugerville, or Philadelphia.

“We’re thrilled to have received a generous grant from The Rachael Ray Foundation,” says Amy Mills, CEO of Emancipet. “The Foundation’s gift will go a long way to helping us continue to make a difference in the lives of animals,” Mills says.

“Every day, Emancipet provides very low-cost, high quality veterinary care to pet owners who love their pets but cannot afford to go to market-rate veterinary clinics,” Mills says. “This new fund is designed to help people who need a little extra help because they may be experiencing homelessness, prolonged unemployment, or other emergency circumstances, making it difficult for them to afford any veterinary care at all.”

About Emancipet

Emancipet’s mission is to make veterinary care affordable and accessible for all pet owners. To achieve this, Emancipet is building a national nonprofit low-cost veterinary care system, with clinics in underserved areas of Austin, Houston, Killeen, and Pflugerville Texas; and in Philadelphia. Emancipet advocates for public policy that improves the lives of pets in underserved communities, and operates Emancipet New School, which equips and inspires animal welfare professionals in becoming change makers. Since its founding in 1999, Emancipet has spayed or neutered more than 275,000 dogs and cats and will serve more than 100,000 pets and their families this year. www.emancipet.org

About The Rachael Ray Foundation™ and Nutrish®

A portion of proceeds from each sale of Rachael’s pet food, Nutrish®, is donated to The Rachael Ray Foundation™, which helps animals in need. Through March 2018, more than $27 million dollars have been donated to animal charities and other organizations that do good for animals. The funds are used for food, medical supplies, treatments, and more.

May 18,  2018

AUSTIN — Emancipet is one of six organizations leading the surgical work in a historic initiative to spay/neuter and vaccinate more than 20,000 dogs and cats in Puerto Rico, which is still struggling to recover more than six months after the devastation of Hurricane Maria.

A team of 16 Emancipet veterinarians and staff, including Emancipet CEO Amy Mills, will deploy to Puerto Rico June 3-9 for the first of what will be four trips included in “Spayathon for Puerto Rico,” developed by the Humane Society of the United States. Emancipet will be the surgical provider for the Manati sector of the island.

Emancipet and its staff are uniquely experienced in hurricane recovery. Its Houston clinic undertook an extraordinary effort following Hurricane Harvey, providing three months of free veterinary care to people and pets impacted by the crisis and its aftermath, including more than 1,000 spay/neuter surgeries and more than 13,500 vaccinations. Emancipet Houston branch manager DeWayne Compton who helped manage the post-Harvey effort, will be part of the crew in Puerto Rico.

Emancipet CEO Amy Mills also has on-the-ground experience with helping people and animals after a crisis. As a volunteer, Mills had a life-changing experience following the 2011 tornado in Joplin, Missouri, where she helped families reunite families with pets lost during the storm.

“It’s an honor to be invited to be part of this tremendous coalition and to be able to make a difference where it is so desperately needed,” Mills said. “Our team will establish a MASH-style surgical center with brand new, state-of-the-art equipment that we are shipping to Puerto Rico and setting up inside a community center. Our goal is to spay or neuter at least 500 animals per trip.”

This initiative also has a second important goal, which is to build more capacity for free and low cost spay/neuter in Puerto Rico after the conclusion of the project. The HSUS, through a partnership with the ASPCA Spay/Neuter Alliance, is offering high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter training for Puerto Rico veterinarians to increase the number of veterinarians on the island who can safely provide these services. In addition, at the conclusion of the 18-month project, all the surgical partners, including Emancipet, will donate their surgical equipment and supplies to local veterinarians, to help further the animal welfare efforts in Puerto Rico.

“This initiative is a remarkable example of what can happen when government agencies, nonprofits and veterinary medical professionals come together for one cause,” said Kitty Block, Acting President and CEO of the HSUS. “This collaboration will make a difference and improve the welfare of Puerto Rico’s animals.”

The HSUS’ Humane State Puerto Rico program worked closely with coalition partners Gov. Ricardo Rosselló and First Lady Beatriz Rosselló, the Puerto Rico Veterinary Medical Association and the Puerto Rico Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners to sign a memorandum of understanding to implement the initiative over an 18-month period in 2018 and 2019.

The other five surgical lead partners are Veterinarians for Puerto Rico, ViDAS, Helping Paws Across Borders, the Colegio de Médicos Veterinarios de Puerto Rico and Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at Cornell University. Each will be supported by a ground partner team comprised of local organizations leading the advance work of spreading the word about the available services, translating, checking in patients, and other volunteer duties not related to surgery. Emancipet’s ground partner team is the Humane Society of Puerto Rico. 

The other ground partner teams are The Sato Project, Friends of Culebra Animals, Our Big Fat Caribbean Rescue, The Puerto Rico Dog Fund, The Humane Society of Puerto Rico and Wild at Heart.

Maddie’s Fund® and other non-profit organizations, including PetSmart Charities, Petco Foundation, GreaterGood.org and The 20/22 Act Society, are providing the financial support necessary to carry out this initiative. Other groups like Banfield Foundation, Best Friends Animal Society and Rescue Bank are providing critical supplies, such as vaccines, pet food and crates.

The no-cost spay/neuter clinics will take place throughout the following dates:
Round 1: June 3-9, 2018 – Ceiba, Culebra, Manati, Moca, Ponce, San Juan and Vieques
Round 2: November 3-9, 2018 – Cabo Rojo, Ceiba, Culebra, Manati, Moca, Ponce, San Juan and Vieques
Round 3: February 3-9, 2019 – Cabo Rojo, Ceiba, Culebra, Manati, Moca, Ponce, San Juan and Vieques
Round 4: May 3-9, 2019 – Cabo Rojo, Ceiba, Culebra, Manati, Moca, Ponce and Vieques

About Emancipet

Emancipet’s mission is to make veterinary care affordable and accessible for all pet owners. To achieve this, Emancipet is building a national nonprofit low-cost veterinary care system, with clinics in underserved areas of Austin, Houston, Killeen, and Pflugerville Texas; and in Philadelphia. Emancipet advocates for public policy that improves the lives of pets in underserved communities, and operates Emancipet New School, which equips and inspires animal welfare professionals in becoming change makers. Since its founding in 1999, Emancipet has spayed or neutered more than 275,000 dogs and cats and will serve more than 100,000 pets and their families this year. www.emancipet.org

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