The staff at Habersham County Animal Care and Control (HCACC) have been hard at work, providing care and love to Habersham’s neediest animals in more ways than the work they do in the shelter. This week, the shelter received a $1,000 grant, as well as 1,000 free pet vaccines to distribute among Habersham’s animals.
The grant comes from PetFinder for Dogs Playing for Life, a program that helps animal shelters create spaces for shelter dogs to play with each other, helping them get better socialized and get out their energy. The grant will cover HCACC Director Madi Nix’s expenses to receive further training.
READ MORE: How playtime is helping Habersham’s shelter animals
This program has become something that has dramatically reduced the number of dogs in the shelter, making them more adoptable due to their better socialization and temperament by “letting dogs be dogs.” The upcoming training will focus on aggressive dogs, and help Nix better work with those animals.
Free vaccines
The shelter has recieved 1,000 vaccines to administer to Habersham’s animals, completely free of charge, thanks to a program from Petco.
The program, called Petco Love, has a goal of vaccinating 1 million pets against preventable diseases that claim the lives of animals every day. The vaccines are completely free for anyone who lives in Habersham County, the City of Baldwin or the Town of Alto, who wants to vaccinate their pets.
“We’re hoping that if we get more vaccinations out there, then animals coming into the shelter may have better chances of staying healthy, especially during kitten and puppy season,” Nix says.
The vaccines protect animals against Parvovirus and Panleukopenia, deadly diseases that are completely preventable if animals are vaccinated against them. Panleukopenia in cats has a 70 percent mortality rate and is highly transmissible, Nix says. She hopes having these vaccines available will eliminate Panleukopenia coming into the shelter.
“Generally, if we do not have a specified foster home that is comfortable with treating Panleukopenia, and has good disease transmission protocols, then, unfortunately, those cats have to be euthanized because they can expose our entire population, ” Nix says. “It’s very high-risk.”
“It is heartbreaking when any pet suffers or dies from a disease that could have been prevented. It is further exacerbated when unvaccinated pets come into busy shelter kennels, where these deadly diseases can spread quickly, resulting in multiple deaths, skyrocketing expenses, and hindering saving pet lives,” said Susanne Kogut, Petco Love President. “By creating greater awareness and making this crucial preventative care more accessible to pets not currently receiving these life-saving vaccines, we can prevent the dangerous spread of disease.”
