PA VetPets opens North Strabane office
PA VetPets is expanding its operation with a brick-and-mortar location in North Strabane Township.
The nonprofit celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony March 7 at The Shoppes at Quail Acres. Omar Brooks and his wife, Nicole Malesic, started the organization in 2020, and had been working out of the Ignite Business Incubator in Washington.
With a dedicated space, Brooks hopes to more effectively carry out their mission of helping connect veterans with emotional support or service dogs. The building at 1445 Washington Road will be open Thursdays for clients to be able to meet with an in-house counselor, and on Sundays for training.
Otherwise, the organization will operate on an appointment-only basis.
“If I could sum it up, it’s set up to look like a home instead of a typical training environment,” Brooks said of the Quail Acres office, adding that they hope the environment will help veterans focus on their mental health and well-being.
Brooks said the ultimate goal of VetPets is to help veterans determine what their exact needs are when it comes to a support dog. He notes that there is a distinction between a “service” dog and an “emotional support” dog.
Service dogs are expensive and can require up to two years of training before they are ready for their owners.
VetPets will help connect veterans with other organizations that specialize in training service dogs. Mostly, however, Brooks says that they see the most success with emotional support dogs and counseling.
“People think they know what a service dog is, but don’t understand the work required,” Brooks said. “Within seven months they realize, I really just needed an emotional support dog. Someone to be there in my times of loneliness, anxiety or depression.”
VetPets hopes this will lighten the load on organizations that train service dogs, and make it easier for veterans in need to be connected with their animal.
“We’re doing a service by removing people from the service dog waiting list for people that need service dogs,” Brooks said.
The new location will also give people an opportunity to support VetPets. According to Brooks, they are offering five weeks of basic obedience training for puppies. It is $150 to join a group, and the cost is considered a donation to the organization.