The Vanderburgh Humane Society’s newest outreach program, “Help for Heroes,” will serve veterans with pets in our community to hopefully keep them and their pets together – happy & healthy!
Pets enrich our lives and benefit our mental health. This can also be especially true for veterans. The Vanderburgh Humane Society’s newest outreach program, “Help for Heroes,” will serve veterans with pets in our community to hopefully keep them and their pets together – happy & healthy!
The idea for this program came from a longtime VHS volunteer named Lauren, who currently also runs the Cardio for Canines program (CFC.) Through CFC, Lauren came into contact with a veteran last October who needed help making an appointment to get his dog fixed and vaccinated. The struggles he was facing with understanding the scheduling software, where to be at what time, etc. really stuck with Lauren.
VHS Director of Advancement Amanda Coburn says, “Lauren told us that this person ‘loves his rescue dog more than anything… she is all he has, essentially.’” Apparently the VA had recommended the VHS and their services to this man, but, “he was still so confused. It’s been weighing heavy on me ever since I’ve come into contact with him, and now I realize how little he knows about all of the low-cost services that are offered.”
That’s all it took. After some brainstorming sessions among VHS staff, Lauren, and several other core volunteers… “Help for Heroes” was born.
Coburn also says, “We explain to stakeholders every chance we get that the Vanderburgh Humane Society is not just an ‘animal organization.’ The services we provide to help pets, are also helping their people even more. For many of our clients, their pet is the reason they get up in the morning and sometimes they have no one else. Keeping pets & people together is so important to our community’s quality of life and people’s mental health.”
The first opportunity for local veterans to utilize Help for Heroes will be:
Sunday, March 23rd, 2025
10 am - 2 pm Central time
Location: VHS, 400 Millner Industrial Drive, 47710
Assistance will take place in the main VHS lobby. A METS bus stop is located two blocks away at Garvin Park/North Main Street. The building is ADA-accessible with a parking lot and accessible restroom access.
Available services include:
- Dog & cat distemper vaccines
- Flea & tick prevention
- Spay/neuter assistance
- Microchip with national registration
- Pet food
- Case management & technical assistance with appointment scheduling, forms, etc.
What veterans should bring:
- Military photo ID
- Email address if they have one, and how to log into it
- Mobile device if they have one
- Pets must be either leashed, harnessed, or in a carrier before entering the building for everyone’s safety. Volunteers can assist with this upon arrival if needed.
As a reminder, the Vanderburgh Humane Society is a local nonprofit that must raise 100% of its own budget to support programs like these. VHS is not a “chapter” or affiliate of any national organization such as the ASPCA or Humane World for Animals, and receives no operational funding from either.
To make a gift toward programs like Help for Heroes in 2025 and beyond, the public can visit www.give.vhslifesaver.org. Or they can also email giving@vhslifesaver.org to inquire about gifts of stock or IRA distributions.