Community Outreach

The PVMA is a founding organization of the Animal Shelter Alliance of Portland. Emphasizing the importance of spaying/neutering as a solution to the growing pet overpopulation problem in the Portland Metro area, leaders from Portland’s largest animal welfare organizations and the veterinary community have come together to form the ‘Animal Shelter Alliance of Portland’. The group’s mission is to end the euthanasia of healthy, social, and treatable cats and dogs in Portland-area shelters.

We are always open to hearing about projects and organizations in the Portland Metro Area that we can either help or that we may benefit from learning from.



Coffee Creek Correctional Facility is the state women’s prison located in Wilsonville, Oregon. The puppy program was created in the late 1990s in partnership with Canines Companions for Independence, a non-profit organization that provides disabled individuals with highly trained companion dogs.

In 2005, due to some changes to the program funding, the PVMA became involved. During the time the dogs are in training at the facility, they are in need of veterinary care which is generously provided by PVMA member veterinary hospitals. The PVMA provides additional support throughout the year, as needed, by collecting supplies for the dogs and helping manage any special needs that arise.

The Portland Animal Welfare (PAW) Team saves lives, alleviates suffering, and keeps pets and people together by providing free veterinary care to the pets of people experiencing homelessness or extreme poverty. PAW Team relies heavily on our Portland veterinary medical community for support. The PVMA has partnered together with PAW Team to offer the services of our generous veterinary members to aid in supporting their mission. To learn more about PAW Team and or donate, please visit the PAW Team website.

In 2013, the Portland Metro Area was selected as the location for the kick-off of a new program designed to increase lifelong care of all adopted pets- Catalyst Connection! CATalyst Council, Oregon Humane Society, and Portland metro area veterinarians began working together on an adoption pilot program which can ultimately be implemented across the entire community for both cats and dogs.

The program is designed to benefit pets throughout the community by:

• Increasing adoptions from shelter and rescue organizations
• Increasing new pet visits for veterinarians by creating a means by which a pet’s records are directly transferred from the adopting organization to the owner’s chosen veterinary practice at the time of adoption
• Increasing the number of pets that remain in their new homes through establishing a relationship with a veterinary practice within the first month of adoption and ensuring those pets receive a lifetime of care.

For additional information, please email christinag@catalystcouncil.org

To watch Dr. Jane Brunt and Sharon Harmon discuss the program on Katu’s AM Northwest, please click here.

Practice tools and resources

Portland Parks & Recreation’s off-leash areas are THE outdoor destination for pet recreation in the city. From booming social scenes to laid-back neighborhood play areas, the city’s 33 off-leash areas offer a wide variety of dog recreation. Starting in summer 2012, Portland Parks & Recreation and the Portland Veterinary Medical Association partnered to connect with dog owners on how they can keep pets healthy for park play and for life. As part of the Pet Health for Parks campaign, PP&R and PVMA has:

• Created brochures with targeted messages about the benefits of dog exercise and socialization, vaccine education, parasite awareness, and other key health and wellness information

• Distributed brochures to Portland veterinary offices and parks, with an initial print run of 5,000

• Created pet health and wellness-specific signs for placement throughout dog areas

• Connected with dog owners during park visits and pet-themed events