A familiar face in Windsor’s animal welfare world is back with a new mission — this time outside the shelter system. Melanie Coulter, who spent nearly two decades leading the Windsor-Essex Humane Society before being ousted last year, has co-founded a new non-profit veterinary clinic in Windsor. The Community Veterinary Clinic opened on Holden Avenue, between Howard and McDougall, on Sept. 2. Coulter and team are already welcoming pets for spay and neuter surgeries, nail trims, microchipping and end-of-life care at reduced costs. “We started talking about it a while ago and realized that this was something that our community needed and that we knew we could provide,” Coulter said. She said affordability has become one of the biggest barriers for pet owners. “Especially over the last five years,” she said. “People are just struggling.” Coulter’s exit from the Humane Society in 2024 made headlines at the time. The board offered no public explanation for her dismissal, which came after nearly 20 years at the organization. Now, she says this new clinic is a way to keep serving the community. “This isn’t something that I expected to be doing, but it does feel very natural. It feels like we’re providing services that we know we need,” she said. “It’s great because our entire team is formerly Humane Society employees. So we’re all really dedicated to animal welfare.” That team includes veterinarian Dr. Kayla Beetham, who also spent years working at the Humane Society before joining Coulter in the new venture. “A lot of this comes from what we’d see from being at the Humane Society and really in the community as a whole,” she said. “What we hear from people that they want to do the right thing, they want to get their pet fixed, but they don’t have that ability or that access.” Pet owners looking for more information or to book an appointment can visit the clinic’s website: communityvet.ca. While the clinic is starting with a focused set of services, Coulter said the plan is to grow. “Hopefully in the future we’ll be able to expand, expand further.”
