The actual numbers were: 327 dogs and 143 cats.  A total of 443 rabies vaccinations, 198 canine distemper combo vaccines and 85 feline distemper combo vaccines were given.  Of the 470 total dogs and cats vaccinated on Saturday; 367 dogs and cats came from Jefferson County, 94 dogs and cats came from Berkeley/Morgan counties, 6 dogs and cats came from Virginia and 3 dogs came from Maryland.

Thanks to a generous donation from Dr. Kevin Roberts and Hillside Veterinary Hospital in Charles Town, WV, the rabies vaccines were available to the public free of charge.  “We knew we were going to have a huge turnout since the rabies vaccines were being given free and the distemper combo vaccines were only $5 per pet,” said Sara Mauck, Happy Whiskers founder and director.  “I’m not sure any of us realized just how many cats and dogs would actually show up that day,” said Mauck.

The clinic was scheduled to run from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. but people showed up as early as 10:30 a.m. to secure a place at the front of the line.  Happy Whiskers had twenty-five volunteers on hand to run the clinic.  “Even with ten people running the registration tables; the average wait was around two hours,” Mauck said.  “Everyone who attended was in good spirits and they were so appreciative for what we were doing that they didn’t seem to mind the wait.”  Keeping these issues in mind however, Happy Whiskers is contemplating ways to improve the wait time at our next clinic.

Registration started early, at 12:30 p.m. and the last dog went through the line at 5:30 p.m.  “We stayed until everyone was taken care of,” said Dr. Kiana Adkisson, “it would have defeated the purpose not to.”

In addition to the vaccines, pet owners also bought items from a bake sale and chose pet care supplies from a table of free items.  “As a non-profit, we receive donations throughout the year,” said Mauck.  “We use what we can and pass the rest onto the public at events like this.”  Items included new leashes, collars, dog shampoo, brushes and pet food samples.  Every dog and cat that received a vaccination also went home with a “goody bag” of treats and toys.

“It’s obvious from the turnout on April 9^th that this is a service that is needed in our community on an on-going basis, and it is our goal to fill that need and ensure that the pets in Jefferson County and the surrounding area get the basic care that they deserve,” said Mauck.  “We had people that day asking if we would be holding another clinic in the fall.”  “It’s obvious that these owners want to do the right thing for their pets, but so many of them are limited by their current financial situation,” Mauck added.

Happy Whiskers would like to thank everyone that volunteered their time and services.  Without all the support that we received none of this could have been possible.  Everyone helped to make this so successful for the community.  We had 26 people who volunteered their time and helped everything run smoothly. 

Happy Whiskers is planning to host another vaccination clinic in the fall on a date that has yet to be determined.  Happy Whiskers can be reached at (703) 501-0221 or via their website: www.happywhiskers.org.