Free Rabies Clinic In West Deptford March 7

WEST DEPTFORD, NJ — West Deptford will host a free rabies clinic sponsored by the State of New Jersey in March. The free rabies clinic in West Deptford will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on March 7 at the West Deptford Public Works Garage, 124 Grove Avenue, the Gloucester County Board of Chosen Freeholders in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services and Gloucester County Animal Shelter announced.

"We saw a lot of rabies in our county’s wild animal population in 2019," Gloucester County Freeholder Director Robert M. Damminger said. "In order to keep pets and people safe from the disease, we encourage our residents to take advantage of the free rabies clinics we offer in order to ensure the safety of their animals should they ever encounter infected animals."

"We see our pets as part of our families and would do anything to keep them safe," Freeholder Deputy Director Frank J. DiMarco, who oversees the Gloucester County Animal Shelter said. "By vaccinating our pets we are giving them a defense against the disease but also helping prevent any animals that may live in the same house or interact with your pet from being infected as well."

Under township and state law, anyone who owns, keeping or harboring a dog of licensing age (7 months or older) or which possess a set of permanent teeth must annually procure a license and official metal tag for each dog owned from the Municipal Clerk's Office.

To ensure the health and safety of themselves and their pets, pet owners are urged to check the vaccination status of their pets, avoid wild animals and keep their distance from stray dogs and cats, advise children not to handle wild or stray animals, and contact animal control at 856-881-2828 if they see an animal acting strange.

To get a license, the owner's pets must get rabies vaccinations. The owner must supply a certificate, signed by a licensed veterinarian, that shows the vaccination is good for at least the first 10 months of the 12 month licensing period.

Rabies is a deadly disease caused by a virus in the saliva of infected animals. If left untreated can cause death. Post exposure treatment is needed immediately. In order to ensure your safety, the Gloucester County Health Department recommends that all pets have their current rabies vaccinations.