ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Hundreds of Alaskans and their furry friends gathered in Mountain View on Saturday for free pet vaccinations and food.
The organization Friends of Pets sponsored a vaccination clinic for dogs and cats in collaboration with Anchorage Animal Care and Control. The Normandy Project also provided free pet food at the clinic and AACA distributed spay and neuter coupons. In addition to pet services, several groups provided food and water to low-income and homeless individuals.
“Last spring, we heard that a number of dogs at the camp died because they were not vaccinated against parvovirus,” said Michelle Giraud, president of Friends of Pets. “We wanted to do something to help the community. We had a clinic in May and we were thinking of doing another clinic in the fall, but obviously word got out and a lot of people… people came here.”
The clinic opened at 11 a.m. and continued until all vaccines scheduled for 3 p.m. ran out. Organizers had to order 150 vaccines during the event due to demand. Friends of Pets and AACA held a similar clinic in May, and after Saturday’s clinic was so well attended, organizers hope to hold vaccination events more frequently, perhaps next year. He said he plans to hold the event four times.
“Ensuring your pet is vaccinated is extremely important,” said Joel Jorgensen, AACA Community Outreach Manager. “If they get out and end up in a shelter, they’re going to be in an environment with a lot of animals, and that’s where diseases can spread, especially if they’re not vaccinated. This is the case if an animal comes in that is not covered.” Therefore, such an event will prevent us from even entering our shelters, preventing us from entering the hole completely, and making sure that the anchorage is covered. Help make sure you’re safe. ”
Several churches and homeless organizations provided food and hygiene products to those in line. Some people waited as long as two hours to vaccinate their pets. Duke Russell, who has been providing food to the homeless for several years, said he was happy to be invited to the event and to contribute to the community.
“Today, we joined forces with Pet Friends and APD to show our support for our community,” Russell said. “Basically, it’s just some groups of people coming together and working together on mutual aid for people who don’t have shelter.”
Some people traveled from as far as Seward to get their pets vaccinated.
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