September 17, 2009

Catawba County’s Animal Services staff is making plans to get fully into the spirit of World Rabies Day, a day dedicated to working to make rabies history, on Monday, September 28, 2009. Animal Services will hold an Animal Adopt-A-Thon from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. on September 28, including free rabies vaccinations between 11 a.m. and 12 Noon.

“World Rabies Day is an important event that will further raise awareness about the disease and the importance of keeping pets immunized,” said Jay Blatche, Catawba County Animal Services Manager. “We want to do our part by offering a wide range of activities, including informational handouts, door prizes, pet adoption and the free rabies vaccines between 11 a.m. and Noon. I would stress that we will be able to offer the rabies vaccinations free of charge during that hour. We normally charge a small fee to recoup the cost of the vaccine. And we will be hoping to find new homes for many animals at the Animal Shelter during our Adopt-A-Thon.”

Dogs of all ages and sizes may be adopted for $75, while cats of all ages and sizes may be adopted for $50. These fees cover the cost of spaying/neutering, exams, and shots for the animals. Those who adopt an animal must agree that the pet will have a first veterinarian visit within five days. Medical work is to be completed within 30 days on adult animals and by 6 months on puppies and kittens.

Catawba County Animal Services has also begun placing micro chips in all dogs and cats adopted from the shelter. The micro chips can help bring animals home very quickly if they are ever lost. Information on the chips is read by scanners which Animal Services officers working in the field and at the shelter have. The officers are able to obtain a unique number from each chip and then search a database and find a description of the animal and the owner’s name, address and telephone number.

According to www.worldrabiesday.org, “the mission of World Rabies Day is to raise awareness about the impact of human and animal rabies, how easy it is to prevent it, and how to eliminate the main global sources. Even though the major impact of rabies occurs in regions of the world where many needs are present, rabies should no longer be neglected. The tools and technology for human rabies prevention and dog rabies elimination are available.”

For more information on Catawba County Animal Services’ plans for World Rabies Day on September 28, 2009, you may contact Animal Services at 828-465-8228.