YOUNGSTOWN — In a short time, Bella Spencer has gone from never having heard of Youngstown State University to being highly thankful for how it has placed her on a career path that promises to be sustainable, long term and richly satisfying.

“I really appreciate this a lot. It gives me insight into what my real career will be like after school,” the YSU freshman said.

Spencer, who lives in Eighty Four, Pa., and is a biology and pre-veterinarian major, already has joined the university’s Pre-Vet Society to become more adept at caring for animals, which fits well into her desire to be a veterinarian, she said.

Spencer and about 20 other Pre-Vet Society members had an opportunity to put their classroom skills and knowledge to the test, thanks to their participation in Saturday’s Marjorie Hartman Family Foundation pet clinic, set up in a large tent on a parking lot at North Walnut and Adams streets near the campus.

The four-hour clinic also was in partnership with Buster’s Brigade, an Austintown-based organization established in 2018 that is dedicated to providing financial and material help for cats’ and dogs’ basic and emergency needs in Mahoning County and surrounding areas, Donna Sekman, one of the organization’s co-founders, noted. Such needs include medical treatments, food supplies, preventive care and assistance with giving a pet a new home, according to its website.

Also assisting at Saturday’s clinic were six or seven local veterinarians who offered free pet checkups, along with at-cost vaccinations for a variety of ailments that included rabies, parvo, heartworm, distemper, leptospirosis (a disease caused by spiral-shaped bacteria) and kennel cough. Also available were combination shots for dogs and cats, Sekman explained.

Vaccinations ranged from $5 to $15. In addition, people were able to get their pets microchipped, she said, adding that about 173 pre-registered for the clinic, which treated more than 200 pets.

Also happy to assist with the effort was fellow Pre-Vet Society member and YSU junior Sydney Weidler, who lives on campus.

“I’ve worked in a clinic as well, so this is something I love to do. I joined the Pre-Vet, so it solidified what I want to do,” said Weidler, who, along with Spencer, was busy preparing combination shots as well as ones for rabies and bordetella, a highly contagious upper respiratory problem in dogs and cats that is nearly identical to kennel cough.

Early in the clinic, a long line snaked up North Walnut, as people brought their dogs and cats to be treated. Among those in line on the 75-degree sunny day was Kaitlyn Mason of Youngstown, who brought Remington, a 2-year-old lab mix, and 8-month-old Winnie, an Australian shepherd.

“They’re perfectly healthy,” Mason said, explaining that she brought her two dogs to ensure they were up to date on their shots. “They’re best friends and full of energy.”

Not far ahead of Mason in line was Denise Metts, who brought a small cage that contained Archer Boo Boo, her 8- or 9-year-old black tabby cat, to receive its booster shots, a nail trim and a microchip.

Metts, of Salem, said she heard about the clinic via her neighbor, Rhiana Kendall, who came with two cats she wanted vaccinated to prevent rabies.

Also on hand was Tina Costarella of Hammondsville, a YSU grad who started the Pre-Vet Society in 2018.

The club has about 60 members, and this year, four of the students were accepted into accredited veterinarian schools, she said.

Costarella added that she hopes the Pre-Vet Society students also will further appreciate a few life lessons along the way.

“I hope the students realize how important it is to give back to the community,” especially reaching out via education, outreach efforts and the importance of preventive medicine and care, she said.