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Community Corner

Annual Rabies Clinic Is a Tail-Wagging Success

Pet owners also say the Friends of the Shelton Animal Shelter fund-raiser is a good deal for them.

Holding Saphire, his boxer, on a leash, Bob Jarvis said Shelton’s annual rabies vaccination clinic for cats and dogs is a great deal.

The family has two dogs, and Jarvis said they always bring them to the clinic for their rabies shots. That way he pays $12 for each pet and avoids the veterinary office visit fees that can cost $40 to $60.

"We can get them both done at the same time," he said.

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The rabies vaccination clinic, which took place Saturday, May 7, at Echo Hose Ambulance Corps headquarters on Meadow Street, is also a fund-raiser for the Friends of the Shelton Animal Shelter.

The volunteer Friends organization supports the municipal animal shelter by providing extra supplies and assisting Animal Control Officer Sheryl Taylor keep the shelter dogs healthy and happy. It also provides funds to spay and neuter feral cats and assists local cat rescuers who put sociable abandoned felines up for adoption.

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Kelly Roberto, one of the Friends of the Shelton Animal Shelter volunteers, said the group has been running its annual rabies clinic in early May for ten years.

She said pet owners bring about 150 dogs and cats to the clinic each year. Dogs must be on a leash and under control, and cats must be in a carrier.

Dogs and cats get their shots from veterinarian Jim Micinillio of the Countryside Veterinary Hospital on Leavenworth Road in White Hills.

If pet owners bring paperwork for a previous vaccination, their pet’s rabies shot will be good for three years. Without paperwork, they will need a booster shot in one year.

The annual event also allows the Friends of the Shelton Animal Shelter to highlight the work it does and to recruit new members.

Next Saturday, it will represent Shelton at the Beardsley Zoo’s annual Pet Awareness and Adoption Day from noon to 3 p.m. in Bridgeport.

"I’ve always loved animals, dogs and cats," said local artist Susan Carden-Flicker, who was at the rabies vaccination clinic raffling her talent for the benefit of the Shelton Animal Shelter.

Pet owners could purchase a raffle ticket for $1, or six tickets for $5, for a drawing at the Pet Awareness event next Saturday at the zoo.

The winner gets a watercolor portrait of his or her pet by Carden-Flicker. She said any kind of pet is eligible, including dogs and cats, birds, other mammals, reptiles and even fish.

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