Precise for Paws: A voice for pets in need
By Christopher Miller
LOCK HAVEN, PA – When a family pet was diagnosed with T-cell Lymphoma in 2017 the prognosis was not good.
“It was financially draining, driving to Cornell weekly for canine chemo treatments, but some organizations we applied to for grants came through to help defray costs,” said Kylie Rossman, co-founder of Precise for Paws, Inc.
One of the grants came from Blue Buffalo, a manufacturer of healthy cat and dog foods made from a healthy mix of real meat, fruit, veggies, healthy carbs, and whole grains.
“Blue Buffalo gave us a grant of $100 for each chemo treatment we took Nakita, our bullmastiff, to,” Kylie said.
Animals are near and dear to Kylie’s heart, so she and her father, Tom, started a nonprofit organization.
“We know all about the financial and emotional burden families are hit with when their pet has been diagnosed with an illness, or suffers a broken bone, or needs a life-saving surgery,” Kylie said. “So we wanted to provide families in Clinton, Centre, and Lycoming Counties with help in the form of care packages, toys, and treats, and at times financial assistance with paying for portions of veterinarian bills.”
Of this, Precise for Paws, Inc. was born.
“We try to stay as local as possible, with proceeds and donations going right back into the community,” Kylie explained. “Donations help with food, shelter, and providing vet care for local animals in need that are in our community.”
One of Kylie and Tom’s ideas is to establish a future Pet Food Pantry, kind of a “Salvation Army” for pets, or a Little Free Library.
“We care about animals and their well-being, pets are like kids, and sometimes the times are tough for people to afford the needs for their animals,” Kylie said.
Broken legs are a big thing that Precise for Paws receives calls about.
“We had a cat two or three months ago where a woman called frantically saying that her dog got hold of a cat and severely broke its leg,” Kylie explained, “it needed to be amputated and the woman was scared it would happen again but thankfully the cat found a loving home two days after surgery.”
For Precise for Pets, no animal is too small, especially when someone called them about their ferret.
“We rely on the community for donations to help our organization, but we also partnered with local businesses to raise awareness and funds to help with our mission,” Kylie said. “Every year we hold a golf tournament which has grown to a large scale, with more and more people wanting to reach out to help our organization…we just want to bring awareness to our community of the animal issues we face, and the help we can give.”
While Precise for Paws does not take animal surrenders, they can provide assistance through their network to get help where help is needed.
“The Laser Wash has let us use their space for a car wash fundraiser with the LHU Field Hockey Team donating their time, Bill’s Happy Camper and Miller Brothers Auto has also been so giving in letting us use their spaces, and even Haywood’s is a huge supporter, with owner and chef Rich Johnson doing all of the food for the golf tournament, and Larry and Fabre at It Is What It Is and the Sweet Shop helping to fundraise for us through the end of September,” Kylie said.
The true driving force behind getting the nonprofit set up is Kylie’s father, Tom. “He really did the legwork meeting with attorneys, filing for the 501c3 designation, and of course I cannot leave out Tammy Swartwood or Jenn Hilty with helping us,” Kylie mentioned.
Anybody interested in donations or giving their time with Precise for Paws, Inc. is encouraged to contact them by email or through Facebook Messenger below.
Email:
preciseforpaws@gmail.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/PreciseForPaws