Norwich – Families facing financial problems have many tough choices to make, and a partnership of seven local organizations has worked for the past year to ensure that giving up the family pet isn't one of those choices for hundreds of Norwich area pet owners.

Jillian Corbin, executive director of the St. Vincent de Paul Place soup kitchen, and Norwich Human Services Director Lee Ann Gomes told the City Council last week that the Norwich Pet Wellness Clinics have provided vaccinations and other services to more than 300 Norwich area pets, mostly from New London County homes.

And the Connecticut Humane Society, the major funding source and pet health partner, has secured a $70,000 grant from the Grayson Letz Fund for Animals and the Environment, administered by the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut, to continue the clinics in summer and fall for the next two years.

The clinics have ended for the winter, Corbin said, but St. Vincent de Paul Place at 120 Cliff St. still operates a pet food pantry at its facility. Clinics will resume in spring.

The program was launched when St. Vincent volunteer Erica Corbett approached All Friends Animal Hospital in Norwich and asked if the veterinary business would host a free rabies vaccination clinic for St. Vincent clients. The veterinary hospital agreed, and St. Vincent officials quickly arranged a partnership with Norwich city officials to add dog licensing for Norwich residents and Connecticut Animal House to provide donations of pet food.

At that Dec. 9, 2015, event, 53 dogs and cats received rabies vaccinations, and their owners received free pet food and referrals for other services.

“Jill and I are very used to collaborating on people in our town,” Gomes told the City Council. “This time, we collaborated on their animals.”

A short time later, Corbin was contacted by the Connecticut Humane Society looking for partners to organize pet wellness clinics funded in part through a $35,000 grant from the Letz Fund and pro bono veterinary services provided by the Humane Society, agency spokesman Susan Wollschlager said.

“The timing was perfect,” Corbin said.

In a press release statement issued later in the week, Humane Society Executive Director Gordon Willard said his agency was "so grateful" to the Community Foundation for the chance to bring pet wellness services to residents in New London County. The Humane Society hopes to use the program as a model for other regions, he said.

“This grant empowers us to bring animal welfare in New London County to another level and to test a model that can be utilized in communities around the state," Willard said.

The clinics were set up in the basement of the Buckingham Memorial Building at 307 Main St. – the location of the city's former winter homeless shelter – and the seven-partner program was established. The Connecticut Humane Society provided veterinarians for full wellness exams. Norwich city clerk's office provided free licenses for dogs owned by city residents, paid for by Norwich Human Services, St. Vincent and the Humane Society, and Pet-Co in Lisbon donated pet supplies.

The first clinic on May 18 was scheduled for three hours, but the veterinarian staff ended up staying for 5½ hours to give full wellness exams for 22 dogs and 24 cats, provided nail trims to more than 30 pets. The clinic distributed 120 long-lasting flea and tick prevention collars, 1,100 pounds of pet food and licensed 16 Norwich dogs – most of them had never been registered before, Corbin said.

In total, six wellness clinics were held from May through October using the grant funding and contributions of both cash and time from participating agencies.

“A pet should not have to be relinquished or euthanized simple due to monetary constraints,” Corbin said. “Keeping furry and human family members together allows both sides of the relationship to continue to enjoy the intrinsic emotional and physical health benefits that the human-animal bond brings.”

c.bessette@theday.com

Norwich Pet Wellness Clinics: Six clinics held May through October, 2016.

Partner agencies: Connecticut Humane Society, St. Vincent de Paul Place, Norwich Human Services, Norwich Animal Control, Norwich City Clerk, Norwich police community policing unit, Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut.

Total pets treated: 333: 198 dogs, 133 cats, 2 rabbits.

From where: 97 percent from New London County, 3 percent from Windham County. 74 percent from Norwich.

Wellness exams: 222.

Rabies vaccines: 198.

Distemper vaccines: 216.

Flea/tick preventatives: 320.

Heartworm tests: 123. One dog tested positive and treated.

Nail trims: 182.

Deworming treatments: 104.

Norwich dog licenses: 90, 88 percent first time licensed.

Pet food pantry: 6,401 pounds of dry pet food, 2,331 pounds of canned pet food.