“NO PET LEFT BEHIND” CLINIC
MADACC Gives Lost Pets a Voice with
FREE Rabies shot with Pet License Purchase, $10.00 microchips and
Chance to Comply with State Statue before late fee deadline of April 1st
In an effort to spare lost pets and their owners the heartbreak of never being reunited, Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (MADACC) is hosting a clinic offering FREE rabies shots with purchase of a Milwaukee County pet license for Milwaukee County pet owners. Microchips will also be offered at low-cost for $10.00, which includes registration. The clinic will be held Saturday, March 29, 2008 at MADACC’s facility, 3839 W. Burnham St. in West Milwaukee from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The clinic is an effort to help the public understand how important a license, ID tag or other form of identification is for ensuring lost animals have a voice. “Without any form of ID, a lost pet can sit in the shelter for days while we try to locate its owner,” says Melanie Sobel, executive director of MADACC. “Last year only 15% of stray animals returned to their owners. Making sure your animal can be identified – with a license and/or microchip – is an immediate ticket home for your pet.” An average of 8 to 12 million companion animals end up in shelters across the country each year, and without an ID tag, reuniting them with their owners is difficult, at best. Each year, in fact, 5 to 9 million lost companion animals will need to be euthanized.
Licenses are also a ticket home for lost pets! When stray animals enter MADACC with identification, staff can immediately contact the owner to notify them of their lost pet. Licensed pets entering MADACC also receive emergency care if needed and reduced fees when they come to claim their pet. Microchipping pets is a simple, inexpensive way to permanently identify one’s pet and provides less chance that someone will steal someone’s pet and get away with it.
In addition, licensing ensures that pets are vaccinated against rabies, provides owner identification for each pet, and provides funds to MADACC for the rescue, shelter and care of stray, mistreated, unwanted, abandoned and injured animals.
Finally, State law requires that all dogs and cats over five months of age be vaccinated against rabies and licensed in their municipality. Cost of pet license varies by municipality and whether the pet is spayed or neutered and ranges from $10 to $24. If pet owners’ pets have a current rabies vaccination, a rabies certificate must be brought in to purchase a license. A late fee (amount varies by municipality) is charged if a license is purchased after April 1, 2008. Licenses can also be purchased online at www.madacc.com.
For more information, please call 414-649-8640.