In 2024, a group of people with experience in veterinary medicine and animal welfare had an idea rooted in something deceptively simple: They loved animals, they knew how to help them, and they had seen firsthand how the rising cost of veterinary care could force families into heartbreaking decisions. Their response was to create a different approach to providing surgical care: a high-volume, high-quality model designed to make certain procedures available at a lower cost.

The motivation was not complicated. They simply wanted to help.

That idea became Love Is Life Veterinary Clinic, a registered, nonprofit outpatient surgical center in Franklin. After taking a year to thoughtfully plan their approach and find a location to house the clinic, Love Is Life is now celebrating its first anniversary.

The clinic recently marked the milestone with a community celebration at Wag-A-Brew Dog Park in Millis, complete with live music, food trucks, merchandise sales, and, naturally, plenty of pets. It was a fitting setting for an organization whose mission is solely focused on keeping animals healthy, happy, and at home for as long as possible.

The founders, April Paul, Emily Paker-Morse, Dee Jansen, and Katie Young, have decades of experience in the fields of veterinary medicine, veterinary science, clinical medicine, animal and public policy, and client relations. They have all seen how financial hardship can contribute to animals being surrendered to shelters or, in some One-Year cases, euthanized even when they could otherwise live longer, healthier lives. The organization estimates that economic circumstances play a role in about 75% of animal euthanasia cases. Together with their other talented staff members, Kelsey Attaya and Paula Dryden, their aim is to lower that percentage as much as they possibly can.

At Love Is Life, there is no judgment attached to asking for help. There is no economic or means testing for the clinic's services. If someone loves their pet and needs access to affordable surgical care, the team wants to help.

The clinic specializes in surgical procedures and also accepts referrals when a pet has been diagnosed with a condition requiring surgery and the cost of that procedure may be difficult for the family to manage.

That collaborative approach is important to the Love Is Life team. The clinic has access to the specialized equipment and surgical expertise necessary for its work, while recognizing that pet owners may need other forms of veterinary care, including diagnostic testing and imaging, elsewhere. The goal is to be part of a larger network of people working to keep animals healthy.

Education is another part of the mission. The Love Is Life team works with veterinary students and practicing veterinarians to teach high-volume spay and neuter techniques. By sharing ways to perform quality procedures efficiently, the organization hopes to help more veterinary professionals provide accessible care and help more animals.

The clinic's high-volume approach also extends beyond individual pets. Spay and neuter procedures can play an important role in controlling animal populations and reducing the number of animals entering shelters. Love Is Life works with shelters, rescues, and animal control organizations, including efforts involving community cats and trap-neuter-return programs.

Love Is Life is also a participating provider with the Massachusetts Animal Fund's Spay/Neuter Voucher Program, which assists eligible Massachusetts residents by providing vouchers for the procedures, with scheduled voucher days.

For Love Is Life, though, the mission extends well beyond one program.

Its low-cost model is supported in part through donations, allowing the nonprofit to keep surgical care accessible, and the hope is to keep growing.

More capacity means more surgeries. More surgeries mean more pets who can receive the care they need. More education means more veterinary professionals who can potentially bring efficient, high-quality care to their own communities.

That is a pretty meaningful way to spend a first year.

Love Is Life may have celebrated its anniversary in style, but the real celebration is happening every time a pet gets to go home with the family that loves it.

One year down. Hopefully, many thousands of second chances to go.

Learn more about Love is Life and their mission at www.lilvc.org, or by emailing [email protected].