Wake County Community Pet Days Continue to Provide Low-Cost Care to Struggling Families

For the next two Sundays, Wake County Animal Center is continuing its series of Pet Community Days, which have already vaccinated nearly 200 pets and microchipped more than 100 cats and dogs.

“These efforts are helping dozens of families afford rabies shots, microchipping and other vaccines for their beloved cats and dogs,” Wake County Commissioner Vickie Adamson said.

Our next two Community Pet Day events take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays at the following locations:

“We are very excited that so many people joined our first Community Pet Days,” Wake County Commissioner Maria Cervania said. “Families and pets are happiest when they can stay together.”

Thanks to the generosity of our local partners, several potentially life-saving services will be available at no cost. Cary Animal Services will offer free microchipping, and local veterinarian Dr. April Ward will provide single-shot combo vaccines to protect pets from a variety of common issues. For dogs, that’s the DHPP vaccine that protects against Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza. For cats, that’s the FVRCP vaccine to guard against Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus and Panleukopenia. One-year and three-year rabies vaccines will be available for $5 per pet.

Friends of Wake County Animal Center will also be on hand with affordable spay/neuter voucher information and other low-cost food and pet supply resources. Due to time constraints, we cannot offer extended wellness exams for pets.

In addition to pet health resources, Dorcas Ministries and Wake County Health and Human Services will offer resources for families, too, including no-cost at-home COVID tests and other wellness and low-cost food and health program information.

At two previous Community Pet Day events in September in Wake Forest and Zebulon, Wake County Animal Center staff and local veterinarians provided 178 rabies vaccines and 114 microchips.

“One of our goals is to support our community to keep their pets,” said Sig Hutchinson, chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners. “Providing pet owners with help, resources and education is one of the steps to prevent the hundreds of animals that are surrendered to the shelter every year.”

What to Bring

  • CASH: While we’re working on a way to allow credit card payments, we can only accept cash at this time.
  • WATER: It’s still hot, and we’ve had a lot of people coming out for these events, so you and your pets may have to wait for more than an hour. Please bring water for yourself and your cat or dog. If you have an umbrella or chair you’d like to bring while you wait, we encourage you to bring it!
  • RABIES PAPERWORK: We’re offering $5 rabies shots – both 1-year doses and 3-year doses, but we NEED pet owners to PLEASE bring your vet paperwork with proof of prior doses (a rabies tag on a collar is not sufficient). If you have the paperwork from your last rabies shot, you can get the rabies vaccine that lasts three years. But if you do not have proof, your pet will only be able to get the rabies shot that lasts one year.
  • PATIENCE: Please pack your patience, we have so many people struggling to keep their pet families together and we want to help each and every one. Be prepared to wait with your pet – we’ll serve everyone we can while supplies last.
     

For additional information, please contact the Wake County Animal Center at 919-212-PETS (7387) or animalcenter@wake.gov.

Department
Animal Services
Category
Press Release