Pittsburgh, PA
Our SDC Pittsburgh team offers free veterinary care for pets of people experiencing, or at risk of homelessness, in unbridled collaboration with Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh (HARP) and AHN Center for Inclusion Health on the first Thursday of every month.
Team Leads:
Dr. Ariella Samson:
Dr. Ariella Samson is an Honors graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine where she was a Sonata and Dvorak Behavioral Medicine Scholar and Lily Ireland Scholar. She attended the University of Maryland College Park as Presidential Scholar where she earned a Honors B.S. in the Combined Program of Veterinary Sciences and a minor in Equine Studies.
Dr. Samson completed a Specialty Internship in Shelter Medicine as a Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Intern with the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine & the Animal Care and Control Team of Philadelphia in 2019. Additionally, she authored Maddie’s® Outbreak Management and Response Online Course Modules for Maddie’s® University. She resides in Squirrel Hill with her two beloved rescue dogs, Petey and Taza, and her incredibly supportive husband, Jeff. Dr. Samson has a special interest in animal behavior, population health, and antimicrobial stewardship.
Brianna Kaufman:
Brianna graduated as a veterinary technician in 2017 from the Vet Tech Institute of Pittsburgh and started immediately working for Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh. She started as a tech and is now the Senior Medical Services Manager. She was working for Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh when the Pittsburgh chapter of SDC was started and was always very interested in participating. When a Team Lead position became available, she knew she had to jump on it. Brianna grew up north of Pittsburgh and moved to the city when she knew she couldn't leave the shelter - as working with rescue animals and the community has become her passion. She grew up with animals all her life, and recently adopted her first pet since moving out - a beautiful, 3-legged doodle mix named Summer.
Volunteer Trailblazers:
Dr. Tracey Rock & Gayle Bair
Dr. Tracey Rock (left): I am a Pittsburgh native and have been volunteering for The Street Dog Coalition since Fall 2019. My “real” job is working as a pharmacovigilance veterinarian for Merck Animal Health. I reside in a quaint little town outside Pittsburgh with my daughter, two cats and a Whippet.
Gayle Bair (right) : I first learned of The Street Dog Coalition last summer when I was working in the low cost clinic at Animal Friends shelter. I was immediately hooked, and have been volunteering with SDC for almost a year. My full time job Is coordinating a community based transition program for Pittsburgh Public Schools. I live just outside of the city with my husband and two German Shepherds.
Partners & Resources:
Allegheny Health Network (AHN) To contact our Pittsburgh Team, call AHN at 412-396-9483.
Animal Friends (provides food and pet care supplies)
Bridge Outreach
Harmony Dog Rescue
Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh (HARP)
Press:
8.9.23 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Homeless people's pets receive free exams, veterinary care.”
2.9.2023 WTAE Channel 4 ABC News, “Helping to heal pets and their human companions”. 1.22.22 SDC YouTube Channel, Click here for a short video celebrating Dr. Tracey Rock, the original trailblazer for our SDC Pittsburgh Team. Dr. Rock received a Circle of Excellence award from Merck Animal Health based on her collaboration with SDC .
Photo Gallery:
