Home About Us Blog and Updates WAG Newsletter | August 2026

WAG Newsletter | August 2026

August 15
WAG-26-8_Header_740x430_4.jpg

WAG Newsletter | August 2026

Share:
Community Medicine Program

A Year of Care, One Appointment at a Time

For the last year, our Community Veterinary Clinic has delivered low-cost, high-quality care for pets. Through vital services like spay/neuter, vaccines, and sick visits, we’ve helped families access the care they want and need for their pets. As we look back on the last year, the numbers speak for themselves.

WAG-26-8_1200x600_CVC.jpg

Our Impact

Between September 2025 and August 2026, the Community Medicine Program - including our clinics in Hazel Dell and Longview, our Mobile Clinic, and wellness clinics – served more than 11,000 animals. Here’s how the numbers break down:

  • 15,089 appointments

  • 11,522 individual animals seen

  • 6,915 households served across Clark and Cowlitz counties and beyond

  • 7,532 spay/neuter surgeries

  • 2,721 wellness exams

  • 897 sick visits

  • 452 dental treatments

Spay/neuter remains the backbone of the work, but animals came through our doors for a lot more than that.

Keeping Families Together

Here's what we're proudest of: behind every animal who came to the clinic is a family who needed help and found it here. That's thousands of pets who got to stay with the people who love them, simply because someone made sure cost wasn't the reason they couldn't.

This work happens thanks to people like you. Every appointment, every surgery, every wellness visit is possible because you – our donors, supporters, volunteers, and partners – believe in our work and its impact for pets and families. Thank you for being part of it.

WAG-26-8_1200x600_CVC-LV.jpg

You May Qualify

When people hear "community veterinary clinic," they may assume it's only for families in financial crisis. But that's not the case with the Community Veterinary Clinic — and that distinction matters.

The clinic serves pets of families who are income-qualified as well as those whose family would qualify as low-income — and there's an important difference between the two. The qualification thresholds are based on your household size and county, and they're more generous than many people expect. In Clark County, for example, a single person earning up to $71,900 qualifies. A family of four can earn up to $102,650 and still be eligible. In Cowlitz County, thresholds begin at $58,350 for a single-person household.

View the Full Chart

What does that mean in practice?

It means a lot of working families qualify — including many people who would never describe themselves as "low income." If you earn an hourly wage, work part-time, or are managing on a single income, there's a good chance you meet the guidelines. The same is true for many seniors living on a fixed income, such as Social Security, SSI, or a pension. Even individuals with generous retirement funds and investments can take advantage of our low-cost services if their total annual income falls within the thresholds.

Learn More & Make an Appointment


Is Your Go-Bag Ready?

Wildfire Season Isn't Waiting

WAG-26-8_1200x600_Disaster-Prep_Smoke.jpg

Two weeks ago, three fires broke out around Spokane in a matter of hours. By the time crews got a handle on them, roughly 65,000 people had been ordered out of their homes, and more than 700 structures were gone. Across the state line in Oregon, another fire season is already pushing past 1.8 million acres burned, with fresh evacuation orders going out east of Mount Hood as recently as last week.

Wildfire in the Pacific Northwest used to feel like something that happened elsewhere, or at least somewhere drier. That's not really true anymore. You may recall the 2022 Nakia Creek Fire, burning hundreds of acres and resulting in poor air quality, school cancellations, and evacuation orders for many homes and families.

When an evacuation order comes, it rarely comes with much warning — which means the time to prepare a disaster plan for you and your pets is now.

A few minutes now saves precious time later.

The ASPCA's disaster response team puts it simply: if it isn't safe for you, it isn't safe for your pets. Don't leave them behind, and don't tether them outside - have carriers, leashes, and a few days of food and water staged somewhere you can grab them fast, and make sure every collar has a current tag. A microchip helps even more, especially if you become separated from your pet. But microchips are only helpful if the contact information is accurate – it’s worth a check today to ensure the correct email and phone number are listed. And don’t forget that contact information on collars and tags can become hard to read over time; if you can’t read the information easily, neither can someone who rescues your pet.

Also remember that not all shelters allow pets. At many shelters, only service animals are guaranteed entry – it's just a health-and-safety reality of shared shelter space, and it's exactly why you want a pet-friendly plan B lined up ahead of time rather than figuring it out at the door.

WAG-26-8_1200x600_Disaster-Prep_Dog.jpg

Sign up for local alerts now, not when the smoke is already visible.

If you live in Clark County, Clark Public Alerts, run by CRESA, is the actual system that'll notify you if your specific address falls inside an evacuation zone. The service is free, address-based, and takes about two minutes to set up. CRESA also keeps a live wildfire and smoke map worth bookmarking once fire season really gets going.

Even if you never evacuate, the smoke still finds you.

As we experienced in recent weeks, you don't have to be near a fire to feel the effects. When the air turns hazy here in Vancouver or Longview, keep pets indoors with the windows shut, skip the long walks, and watch for coughing, watery eyes, or labored breathing – all worth a call to your vet.

You’ll find resources and links for planning on our Disaster Preparedness page. And if you want something to actually check off, both the ASPCA's pet disaster checklist and the Red Cross pet disaster preparedness guide provide a step-by-step guide to preparing, and neither takes more than a few minutes to get through.

Peace of mind goes a long way. Pack the bag before you need it.


Your Spooktacular Shopping Guide

Halloween Has Landed at ReTails

WAG-26-8_1200x600_Halloween2.jpg

The ReTails Halloween Store threw open its doors on July 31, and our community showed up ready to go. On opening day, shoppers purchased over 1600 holiday items and spent over $9,800, all of which goes towards helping the animals in our care! It was a fantastic start, but this is just the beginning. The items they had out on opening day are only a fraction of what's coming. ReTail's back room still has tons of holiday items, and they'll be putting out new stuff EVERY DAY!

If you didn't know, ReTails collects Fall, Halloween, and Christmas donations year-round. The team has been quietly stockpiling costumes, decor, and seasonal treasures for months, carefully sorting and storing everything until it's time for each season to shine. And now is the time!

Your Full Shopping Guide

So what will you find when you stop by? Read on, because we've built your ultimate guide for shopping the store this Halloween season:

Eerie Entryway - You can dive right into spooky season as soon as you walk into the store! The shelves are stocked with Halloween home décor, outdoor decorations, lawn inflatables, and more. 

Costume Central - Head to the center of the store to snag this year's Halloween costume. They've got racks of costumes in all shapes and sizes, masks, wigs, accessories, makeup, etc.

Creepy Crafters & DIY - Are you more into making your own costume? Well be sure to cruise by the Arts & Crafts and Fabrics & Fiber areas! Shop for fabric, yarn, art supplies, and all the crafty things to repurpose for your epic DIY costume.

The Fall Lineup - When you're ready to purchase all your fun new holiday finds, give yourself some extra time to peruse all the cute fall items lining the checkout aisle. There are all kinds of fall goodies, home décor, autumn leaf arrangements, and more.

RTL_Holiday25_Social_v2.jpg

But Wait….There's More Holiday Magic Coming!

Once Halloween wraps up, the amazing ReTails staff and volunteers jump into high-gear flipping the entire store over to holiday mode. Here's the upcoming dates to remember:

Christmas Store Prep

On November 1 and 2, ReTails will close to the public so the team and volunteers can transform the store into a holiday wonderland. We always need extra hands for this big lift, so if you love a good behind-the-scenes moment, keep an eye out for the volunteer sign-up link.

ReTails Holiday Store Members Night

Be the first to shop all the holiday treasures! Members Night gives you two hours of VIP shopping access the night before the store opens to the public, so you can get merry with us as we kick off another holiday season.

Monday, November 2 | 5:00 to 8:00 pm
5000 E 4th Plain Boulevard, Vancouver
Tickets coming soon, check back for details!

Not yet a ReTails Rewards member? No problem! You can sign up in store the night of the event and start earning rewards right away.

The Christmas Store Opens

The ReTails Christmas Store officially opens to the public on November 3, during our normal business hours. And just like Halloween, they'll be restocking with new holiday treasures all month long, so there's always a reason to come back and see what's new.