by Jennifer Hultz
For many pet owners across the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula, finding timely veterinary care has become increasingly difficult. Appointments often require weeks or even months of waiting, creating challenges for routine care as well as unexpected medical needs.
It is a persistent problem with which the Animal Welfare League (AWL) of the Northern Neck is all too familiar. During her many years of volunteer service with the organization, AWL president Barb Dietz has found that “it is not uncommon for someone to stop by our thrift shop after moving to the area and ask where they should take their pet for veterinary care. At this point, we have no easy answers.”
It is also a problem long shared by the AWL. Many of its programs—which include spay/neuter assistance, emergency medical care, shelter support, rescue and foster efforts and pet food distribution—depend upon local veterinary support, prompting the organization to ask what it can do to address the growing shortage….
