When you enter Dr. Fred Freeland’s non-profit veterinary practice in Albany Georgia, you are greeted by Sister, a very friendly tortoiseshell cat and Michelle, an equally friendly human.
Dr. Freeland runs the only non-profit clinic for cats and dogs in the Albany area. Over the years he worked as an associate veterinarian, a relief vet, at an emergency clinic and as a mobile, house-call veterinarian. It was during these years that his practice philosophy developed. He knew how he wanted to do things. When a practice became available in East Albany where he lived, it was the perfect opportunity for him to put his beliefs into action.
Not long after Dr. Freeland took over Albany Pet Partners the recession hit Albany hard. Many of the area’s major employers, including Cooper Tire and Bob’s Candy closed. Many of his clients lost jobs. He knew he had to consider the communities financial status. He started looking at options. In 2006 he attended the Southeastern Regional Spay/Neuter Leadership conference in Birmingham Alabama. He followed that up with a trip to Asheville, North Carolina to visit the Humane Alliance high volume spay/neuter clinic there.
Dr. Freeland knew he needed to create a veterinary clinic in southwest Georgia incorporating many of the characteristics he had learned about. And he knew the only way to do it was with a non-profit practice. It took almost a year for paperwork to be completed. Albany Pet Partners received their non-profit approval from the IRS in July, 2010. They are one of only a handful of non-profit veterinary clinics in the state of Georgia.
Albany Pet Partners operates on a three tier fee schedule. One of standard fees for clients supporting the Albany Pet Partners mission, a second for low-income qualified clients and a third for humane societies, rescues and other animal-related non-profits. He will not offer low income services to owners who do purposeful breeding. He also educates his clients about reduced frequency vaccination protocols and the importance of preventative medicine, especially heartworm prevention. And of course an emphasis on spay/neuter.
A tour of the facilities with Dr. Fred and Michelle exposes the real reason he is in this business, his love of the animals. This writer is introduced to an elderly dog that was brought in to be euthanized when his owners felt he was no longer useful as a guard dog. Dr. Fred knows he still has time left and spoke up against euthanasia, resulting in the dog's surrender to Albany Pet Partners. He is committed to finding him a home. In the kennel next to him is a little Chihuahua that must have a cart to move around as he is paralyzed in his back legs. He too will find a home thanks to the efforts of Dr. Fred Freeland and his wonderful assistant Michelle. Albany is lucky to have such a gem of a resource.
For more information on Albany Pet Partners, visit http://www.petpartnersalbany.com.
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