When an RV came rumbling down a barren road in Montana, the occupants in the RV saw a stray dog who was injured and coated in porcupine quills. The dog was just clinging to life when they found him. After the van came to a halt, the dog made an effort to approach the enormous vehicle in the hopes of receiving assistance.
Although the dog, who would subsequently be given the name Quill, was unaware of it at the time, he had finally found his way to safety.
The recreational vehicle (RV) belonged to The ElleVet Project, a mobile veterinarian clinic that was on a cross-country mission to offer regular care, specialist treatment, and emergency services to pets living in areas without permanent housing. In addition to this, there was no way that they were going to abandon Quill.
“He had porcupine quills all over him, he had been attacked by another animal and had multiple wounds,” Amanda Howland, the creator of The ElleVet Project, told The Dodo. “He had been bitten by multiple animals.” We were concerned for his survival since he was frail and sluggish due to his condition.
While traveling from Montana to Maine, the ElleVet team placed Quill into the van so that they could provide him with care around the clock while they traveled.
“He was as good as gold and didn’t make a sound the whole time the veterinarian inspected him. “Our veterinarian was able to remove all of the quills after administering a sedative to him as quickly as possible,” The ElleVet Project posted on Instagram. “We quickly got the sedative into him.” Because they were so severe and excruciating, both the veterinarian and our staff were moved to tears by the experience.
In the year 2020, Howland and her business partner Christian Kjaer established The ElleVet Project in response to the COVID-19 lockdown, which left Howland with the impression that she wanted to initiate some constructive change. Her thoughts instantly went to the homeless people in the town as well as their animals.
“I started thinking about all the stray pets and the unhoused and wondered how they would survive with shelters closed, no one on the street to give food or money, nowhere to go for veterinary care, and virtually no resources,” Howland said. “I started thinking about all the stray pets and the unhoused.”
Within the first three weeks after the first lockdown, Howland and Kjaer had already assembled a group of veterans who were eager to hit the road, and they had hired the “ElleVan.”
“I had no expertise in dealing with folks who were without housing, in determining how to locate those who were in the greatest need, or even in how to drive an RV, but I knew we would figure it all out. Howland, who has a background in public health, said that all that was required of us was to leave immediately and to go as swiftly as we could.
According to Howland, the state of California was chosen as the initial location for the ElleVet Project because it has the highest population of homeless persons who also own dogs. More than 1,200 animals were examined and cared for within the first two months of The ElleVet Project’s operation.
“Everywhere we went with ElleVan there were people waiting for us with their pets, waiting in line for hours or even days,” Howland said. “Every time we went somewhere with ElleVan there were people waiting for us with their pets.” “We worked long hours and saw as many as 70 pets in a day, but we never turned anyone away,” she added. “We never said no to anyone.”
She proceeded by saying, “Our goal was to treat any pet that needed us, to treat people with respect and kindness, and to go above and beyond for every single pet that we encountered.”
During the course of The ElleVet Project’s three years on the road, Howland shared the sentiment expressed by Quill, stating that there are a great number of animals that have made an indelible mark on her.
Howland is quoted as saying, “Even though I’ve seen thousands of pets, I can remember each one.” “But of course, some pull at your heartstrings in a special way, and one that comes to mind is a woman named Terry who came to our van with her small dog, Sophie, whom she had rescued from a situation where it was being abused,” the author writes. “One of the things that she told us was that she had rescued Sophie from a situation where it was being abused.”
Before Terry came along and rescued Sophie, she had spent the previous several years locked up in a cage and being used for breeding purposes.
According to Howland, “Terry had cancer and didn’t have a lot of time left, but her primary concern was Sophie and making sure that she ended up in a good home.” “Terry came to us for assistance in locating a new home for Sophie before she went into the hospital, and we went out of our way to find the best possible home for Sophie, as well as to assist Terry and stay in touch with her so she knew her girl was doing well,”
Howland, who said that she had a soft place for older canines, also remembered the tale of an elderly pit bull named Hippo who possessed “the most soulful eyes.”
He had a bad hips and was in a lot of pain from past abuse.” He was kind and trustworthy in spite of all that he had gone through, and we wanted to do everything we could for him.
The team from the ElleVet Project was successful in relieving Hippo’s suffering and treating a couple of his skin concerns. They also maintained in contact with Hippo’s people so that he might continue receiving care even after the ElleVan has returned to their region.
However, Quill was a one-of-a-kind example. Due to the fact that he was a stray, the team working on The ElleVet Project was aware that, much as in Sophie’s case, they would need to find him a place to live when he had completed his treatment.
“He traveled the length and breadth of the country on the van, despite the fact that he had never even set foot inside a house in his entire life!” Howland said. He made a full recovery from his wounds, and we found him a loving home after we had him adopted.
Quill had developed a close friendship with Taylor, the driver of the ElleVan, and fortunately, the two were able to find a way to get back together a few weeks after Quill had been placed with a family in Maine. And Taylor, along with the rest of the crew working on The ElleVet Project, could not believe how different Quill seemed to them when they initially picked him up compared to how he appeared now.
We receive frequent reports, and the last time we met Quill, he had gained 20 pounds and had discovered that he enjoyed sleeping on a bed! Howland said. The manner in which he walked and carried himself led us to believe that he was well into his middle years; nevertheless, it turned out that he was only about a year old, and today he behaves like the puppy that he is.
“I don’t know what would have happened to him if we hadn’t found him, but he is a happy and healthy guy with an amazing forever family,” she said.
Howland is excited to carry on the very important job of assisting pet owners and their animals who are financially unable to get veterinary treatment now that The ElleVet Project is in its third year.
“We hope to keep expanding and adding new states and cities to our routes and to add more vans so that we can see as many pets as possible across the country,” she added. “This will allow us to see as many animals as possible in every state.”
One of the most important things that The ElleVet Project is working toward right now is forming partnerships with veterinary schools so that veterinary students may have the opportunity to practice street medicine, find solutions to issues on the spot, and give stray animals like Quill a second chance at life. This is one of the key current aims of the project.
“I hope anyone following or supporting us can see that we go where no one goes so that we can find the pets that are the most vulnerable and that we give the best care we can with respect and kindness,” Howland said. “We go where no one goes so that we can find the pets that are the most vulnerable and that we go where no one goes.” “Caring for the animals also means caring for the humans. We also make an effort to demonstrate that the people who are without homes or without shelter are often the protagonists of the narrative, since they are the ones who are able to save their pets from dangerous situations.
“The bond between the unhoused and their pets is very strong,” she said, “and it is often a beautiful thing to see.”