HAYSVILLE, Kan. — Whitney Medlam has always dreamed of taking care of animals.
Now, Medlam is opening up her home to help homeless animals in need of care.
“I will take homeless animals in, animals that need to be rehomed,” she said. “People who can’t take them to the humane society, they don’t want to that kind of thing.”
Medlam has created Medlam Animal Rehabilitation Clinic, LLC, to give pets a second chance at life. She currently has taken in three pets in addition to the dog and two cats that are a part of her family, including her children and husband.
The first dog she’s taken in is Georgie, a dog that’s recently given birth to puppies. The dog is two or three years old. The American Staffordshire Terrier Mix has had a severe ear infection and other complications.
“She’s actually positive for heartworms,” Medlam said, “and she’s just given birth to puppies. She’s got quite a bit of rehabilitation. She’s got quite a bit of TLC, a little bit of a long road to go, but I think she’ll be OK.”
“The heartworms. You can’t let the heartworms go for a very long time because it will start to weaken the tissue of the heart and eventually she’ll have problems later on, so I’m going to go ahead and pay that out of pocket and get that taken care of.
At this point, Medlam is hoping to get help from the community with furthering her goals. She plans to clean up animals, train them and find them good forever homes. Part of that care would include vaccinations, spay/neuter, grooming, surgeries, etc. For the first dog, Medlam has already paid for the care to remove the heartworms.
GETTING HELP FROM OTHERS ONLINE
Medlam has created a GoFundMe page. She’s asking to get a collective $15,000 to help start up her clinic. She would also like to buy a couple of large kennels and other supplies to keep the animals comfortable. Her ultimate goal would be to buy 25 acres of land, build a fence and create a clinic outside of her home.
In addition, Medlam is having a fundraiser, where she is selling Earth Candles. The candles are made from all-natural wax, burn for more than 60 hours and are made in the United States.
BUILDING A FUTURE FOR ANIMAL HEALTHCARE
Though she is not yet a veterinarian, Medlam said that’s what’s she eyeing in the future. In her home, she talks about the value of training pets at a clinic – something she finds rare in the animal care business.
“I want them to have that proper training because that will make them more adoptable. You know – ‘sit, stay down.’ You know, ‘up up,’ things like that,” she laughed, as her dog jumped on the couch, listening to her command.
As Medlam works on bringing her clinic to become a reality, she is finishing up her degree at K-State. Her goal is to compete a doctorate in veterinary medicine in the near future.
“My hope is that this company will help give abused, homeless and hopeless puppies a chance at a new life…a chance at being loved and taken care of until their last days,” Medlam said. “No dog deserves to be abused, left outside or even forced to wonder where their next meal will come from. Please help me make this a reality.”