Caring for Tristate pets a work of art at Petcasso benefit

Sanchez, a Chihuahua mix weighing in at just under 15 pounds, took it like a champ.

And why not? His mother, Nancy Jean Pfau-ho of Mount Washington, was holding him while the veterinarian vaccinating the dog on a recent afternoon made quick work of the injection.

Having fortified Sanchez against an infectious disease called Leptospirosis and taken the time to answer all Pfau-ho’s questions, veterinarian Jack Walkenhorst of Lebanon ushered the woman and dog out of the small, quiet examination room and into the large, bustling lobby of Pets In Need of Greater Cincinnati in Lockland.

There, in a former bank where six part-time veterinarians have replaced tellers and dogs and cats have replaced bank customers, the 5-year-old nonprofit organization is working to provide the pets of low-income people throughout the Tristate with veterinary care for a modest fee.

“If you go to a regular veterinarian, you are paying a high price. Maybe some people who have a lot of money can do that, but not me,” Pfau-ho said.

“We look forward to coming here. The people are so kind and we get to see other animals.

“I hope this place never goes out of business. It’s a lighthouse for animals,” Pfau-ho said.

Operators of Pets In Need of Greater Cincinnati also hope to keep the doors open at 520 W. Wyoming Ave.

Which is why they are holding its annual fundraiser, “Petcasso,” on Saturday, Nov. 18, at The Center at 115 E. Fifth St. in downtown Cincinnati.

Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld will emcee the event, which will feature a cocktail buffet and live music.

But you don’t have to pay the $85 per person admission price – $45 of which is tax-deductible – to participate in the centerpiece of the fundraiser: The Painted Pets auction, which can be accessed online now at (pincincinnati.org/painted-pets).

Up for auction are 20 dog and cat forms painted by local artists, reminiscent of the Big Pig Gig.

One of the artists is Frédéric Bonin-Pissarro, whose great-grandfather, Camille Pissarro, was one of the original Impressionists.

Bonin-Pissarro was born in Paris, taught for a time at the Art Institute of Cincinnati and lives now in Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, the veterinarians at Pets In Need of Greater Cincinnati are serving clients who come from households with an income at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level.

 “I love working here,” said Walkenhorst, who has two cats – Django and Verbal – at home.

“We’ve got a great staff and great clients.

“Our clients really appreciate what we do. Without us they probably would not be able to afford veterinary care for their pets,” Walkenhorst said.

Ann Hill of Hyde Park is executive director of Pets In Need of Greater Cincinnati, which she founded in 2012.

Hill said the organization currently serves about 3,500 pets in about 1,500 households.

Despite that, “We are not anywhere near filling the need,” Hill said.

“There is such a huge need for this.”

Hill said clients are grateful that they don’t have to surrender their pets. Surely the pets feel the same way.

“We always say that we believe everyone deserves to have the joy of a pet, and that all pets deserve a loving home,” Hill said.

And to the people who work at Pets in Need of Greater Cincinnati and to the people they serve, that’s worth more than all the money the former bank used to lock up in its vault.

Visit pincincinnati.org for more information about Pets in Need of Greater Cincinnati, Petcasso 2017 and the Painted Pets auction.