My name is Margaret J Thompson and I am the Founder of Clemson Paw Partners. I want to share with you how Clemson Paw Partners got started and what our goals are for the future.

I spent 25 years in law enforcement working for the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office.  In 2002, I retired and entered the private sector. I started Upstate Process Service working for attorneys serving their legal papers. In 2017, I closed the business and began volunteering at the Pickens County Animal Shelter.

That’s when my life changed. I had never volunteered at an animal shelter and that first day at the shelter was eye opening one. Dogs were sleeping on concrete floors with no bedding, injured and sick animals suffered with no medical attention, all just waiting to be euthanized. I had to do something.

First, a friend who had a lot of experience in rescue and adoption worked with me and together with her connections, we were able to move dogs into foster homes until they would be adopted into their forever homes. Second, I contacted another friend of mine and told her we needed to buy elevated dog beds so the dogs would not spend their days on the hard concrete. In a weeks’ time, we had donations to purchase 23 Kuranda dog beds.  Third, we started collecting quality food for the dogs and cats to eat. And fourth, we collected money to put outdoor fencing up so the dogs could go outside. But there was still more that needed to be done.

In 2017, with the help of an attorney friend, I founded a non-profit, Clemson Paw Partners. At first, we tried foster/adoption. Then we contacted local vets to help with spay/neuter at a discount price. The demand was so high that the appointment space available could not keep up with the growing number of applications. Again, I had to do something.

As it turned out, Pickens County had elected new council members and we had a new county administrator, Ken Roper. In 2020, Mr. Roper approached me and asked if I would be willing to open a spay/neuter clinic if the county furnished the building.  Of course, I said yes. In July 2020, I got the keys to the building located at 115B Commons Way in Central, SC. Clemson Paw Partners was financially responsible for the remodeling and medical equipment purchases inside the building. At just under $200,000 we were able to turn the former Magistrate’s building into a low cost spay/neuter clinic. All of this was done with private donations and in March 2022 we opened our doors, debt free.

Before the clinic opened, we were outsourcing spay/neuter and we averaged around 100 spay/ neuters a year. After opening the clinic, we did over 1,300 spay/neuter surgeries in just nine months. This year, 2023, I anticipate we will triple that number.

As long as I am the President, the Board members will never be paid. The only paid employees are the veterinarians, the vet techs, and one office worker. Everything else is run by volunteers. My goal for the future is to open an affordable veterinary clinic. The need is great and we should help people who love their animals but cannot afford to pay for the basics.  It can be done.

In closing I want to thank, Pickens County Administrator Ken Roper, Pickens County Council, and Dr. Kim Sanders for helping Clemson Paw Partners get off the ground. I also want to thank all the volunteers who give their time to help us. Our vets techs who come in and never sit down during surgery days, our guest vets who come in and help out, and our community for continuing to believe in us.

Spay/Neuter is the key in keeping the companion animal population down and keeping animals from ending up in shelters, only to be euthanized.

For The Paws,

Margaret J Thompson
Founder/President of Clemson Paw Partners