Ritchie to Host No-Cost Rabies Clinic Wednesday

Event to Take Place 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Alexandria Bay 

In an effort to protect pets and stop the spread of rabies, State Senator Patty Ritchie will host a no-cost rabies clinic in conjunction with Jefferson County Public Health Service from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 29^th at the Alexandria Bay Fire Hall, located on Walton Street. 

The clinic—which is the final for the season in a series of more than a dozen in the region—is being made possible through $25,000 in special funding secured by Senator Ritchie. 

“Our pets are part of the family, that’s why it’s so important to protect them from dangers like rabies,” said Senator Ritchie.  “These no-cost clinics have been extremely successfully in providing animals with the protection they need to stay healthy and I'm hopeful that owners who haven't had their pets vaccinated yet will take advantage of this great opportunity.”

Please note that all pets receiving a vaccine must be leashed or in a carrier.  If available, please bring a copy of your pet’s last certificate of vaccination. In addition, the line to enter the clinic will be outdoors, so please dress for the weather. 

Senator Ritchie’s free rabies clinics are only her latest effort in the fight against the disease, which there were nearly 40 confirmed cases of in Jefferson and St. Lawrence Counties in 2013. Last year, Senator Ritchie hosted six no-cost vaccination clinics throughout the North Country, where nearly 1,000 pets were vaccinated. 

In addition, as Chair of the New York State Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Ritchie was instrumental in recent years in stopping a half-million dollars in proposed funding cuts to rabies prevention programs, including an innovative North Country program run by Cornell University that uses special “baits” to inoculate potentially disease-spreading wildlife so they won’t be infected and pose a risk to the public. The most recent enacted State Budget includes $510,000 for the program statewide.