Adoption, humane services continue at Animal Charity

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

All services, save for the veterinary clinic, will be available at Animal Charity of Ohio, 4140 Market St.

Animal Charity announced Tuesday that the shelter’s Jean Kelty Veterinary Clinic is closing Friday.

Current vet Jennifer Kotouch is leaving the clinic for a job in Cleveland.

The clinic serves animals from both the public and in the shelter.

All public clinic services will cease Friday, and the shelter’s animals will be checked weekly by a veterinary technician already on staff.

The shelter’s adoptions and grooming services remain available, and the humane agents will continue working.

“That is the one thing

I really want to impress upon people, is that our humane agents will still be seizing animals,” board President Mary Louk said.

Currently, the clinic sees, on average, 21 appointments a day, and does eight to 10 operations on surgery days. Louk said the non-profit shelter’s income and expenses primarily come from the clinic.

“This will mean we’ll solely exist on donations and fundraisers for however long this goes,” she said.

This isn’t the first time public veterinary services have shut down at Animal Charity.

Louk said the previous two vets went on to work in larger cities, leaving the shelter in the same situation.