Community Highlights: Meet Beth DeMonbreun of Pet Community Center

Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth DeMonbreun.

Hi Beth, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was in college in 2006, I saw some cats at a recycling center. I thought they were cute & wanted to catch them, but they ran away from people. I bought some traps and searched online about how to use them. I learned about trap-neuter-return and how much of a problem cat overpopulation is. I started helping others with trap-neuter-return, Soon I was helping hundreds of cats, and a few dogs, each year by trapping and transporting them to local spay clinics. Some of them I adopted out. In 2008 I started volunteering at MASH-style TNR clinics in Lebanon, then worked at Fix For Life spay clinic between nursing jobs.

I knew I could make more impact as part of a group. Shortly after its founding, Pet Community Center recruited me when they started a community cat program in 2011. I was excited to become a staff member when Pet Community Center opened a spay clinic in 2014. A few months later I became the manager of the community cat program at the clinic. I oversaw the spay/neuter of over 14,000 community cats and the expansion of program services in the past 8 years. This August, I transitioned to Director of Clinic Operations so I could use my skills to help pets and community cats.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ve learned important skills along the way- when to say no, the art of negotiation, and meeting people where they are. It’s very easy to get overwhelmed in animal welfare because more resources are needed than any one person can provide. I had to learn the hard way to set limits so I could take care of myself too.

People are also a very big part of animal welfare work. Communication skills are important for gaining the trust of the people who care for the animals- no one hands over the animal they care for and loves to someone they don’t trust.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Pet Community Center operates a high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter and vaccine clinic in East Nashville. We have programs like Pets For Life and the Community Cat Program to tackle barriers to veterinary care and provide outreach and support to pet owners who live in veterinary care deserts. We serve over 20,000 animals each year.

Since our launch in 2011, Nashville’s shelter intake has decreased by more than 50%. Over 50% of the surgeries we provide are subsidized.

PCC was formed in 2011 by a caring community of advocates and volunteers. The community initiated a grassroots spay/neuter financial aid program utilizing a network of veterinary clinics and volunteers. Within two years, the demand for spay/neuter services far outnumbered the appointments available in the network.

Additionally, Nashville had an astonishingly high shelter euthanasia rate (80% in 2010) with little success in finding a solution. Studying other cities that were saving 90% or more of their shelter animals, PCC identified that Nashville lacked key resources. Ultimately, Nashville was short 9,000 spay/neuter surgeries annually, creating an unprecedented need for a change in the way the Nashville community received veterinary care. With support from the city of Nashville and a local animal-loving community, PCC opened a spay/neuter clinic in June 2014.

I am proud of Pet Community Center’s commitment to Nashville’s animals and their owners. While PCC, the animal welfare community, and Nashville are still feeling the effects of COVID, I know we have the resilience and creativity to continue finding ways to meet the needs of Nashville’s animals.

Who else deserves credit for your story?
I learned a lot about what I needed to get started with community cats from the resources on Alley Cat Allies’ website. Sara Felmlee (now with Sumner Spay Neuter Alliance) was a big influence on me as I started in the world of spay/neuter clinic work.

Jourdan Parenteau pulled me into PCC, and her love for cats is infectious. Natalie Corwin did a phenomenal job of guiding PCC from its founding through many years of growth.

Pricing:

• Spay/Neuter surgery $80
• Vaccines $15
• Microchips $15
• Monthly flea/heartworm prevention $8-16
• Financial Aid is available

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.petcommunitycenter.org/