Woods Humane Society will hold its second free pet vaccine clinic this month for San Luis Obispo County dogs and cats on August 25, 2023. The free DAPPv Canine and HCP Feline vaccines, which help prevent parvovirus and distemper in dogs and panleukopenia in cats, are made possible through Petco Love's national vaccination initiative to provide another one million free pet vaccines to family pets in need.
The appointment-based pet vaccine clinic for publicly owned pets will be held at Woods Humane Society’s North County campus at 2300 Ramona Road in Atascadero, California on Friday, August 25th, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. In addition to the free DAPPv Canine and HCP Feline vaccines, Woods will also offer other vaccines and services at low cost.
“Thanks to our ongoing partnership with Petco Love, we are excited to offer the community the opportunity to protect their pets from deadly diseases for free,” says Woods CEO Emily L’Heureux. She explains that the free vaccines help reduce the risk of pets contracting common, deadly viral infections that are highly contagious and easily preventable with a vaccine.
Dr. Amanda Hefner, DVM, Director of Veterinary Services at Woods says, “In June, we took in a litter of kittens that turned out to have the dangerous panleukopenia virus, and because they were unvaccinated, they became ill. Thankfully, our dedicated medical team was able to quickly quarantine the kittens, perform life-saving emergency treatments, and nurse them back to health. They are now vaccinated, altered, and living healthy lives with their adopters.”
Susanne Kogut, Petco Love President, notes that when these preventable diseases enter busy shelters, they not only endanger one pet’s life, but can spread quickly, cause multiple deaths, and lead to higher expenses and reduced adoptions in that shelter. “By creating greater awareness and making this crucial preventative care more accessible to pets not currently receiving these lifesaving vaccines, we can prevent the dangerous spread of disease.”
To make an appointment for the vaccine clinic, visit www.SpaySLOCounty.com. For more information, contact Woods Humane Society by calling (805) 543-9316, or visiting 875 Oklahoma Ave., San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 or 2300 Ramona Rd., Atascadero, CA 93422. Woods is open to the public daily from 12-5 p.m., with adoption hours from 12-4 p.m. Learn more about Petco Love’s lifesaving impact at PetcoLove.org.
About Petco Love
Petco Love is a life-changing nonprofit organization that makes communities and pet families closer, stronger, and healthier. Since our founding in 1999 as the Petco Foundation, we’ve empowered animal welfare organizations by investing $350 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts. We’ve helped find loving homes for more than 6.7 million pets in partnership with Petco and organizations nationwide.
Our love for pets drives us to lead with innovation, creating tools animal lovers need to reunite lost pets, and lead with passion, inspiring and mobilizing communities and our more than 4,000 animal welfare partners to drive lifesaving change alongside us. Is love calling you? Join us. Visit petcolove.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn to be part of the lifesaving work we lead every day.
With Fourth of July fireworks displays around the corner, Woods Humane Society and SLO County Animal Services Division (ASD) are asking the community to help keep pets out of shelters and in their homes this holiday.
“Each year, our shelter fills up with pets who become lost after being frightened by fireworks,” says Eric Anderson, DVM, Animal Services Manager for the SLO County ASD. “Many of these pets have homes, but without ID tags or microchips we are unable to reunite them immediately with their owners. This influx of animals puts a strain on the shelter and on the pets, and also limits the kennel space available for truly homeless animals.”
To avoid this situation, Woods Humane Society CEO Emily L’Heureux says the community can make a big difference by trying to reunite any found pets with their owners before bringing them to ASD—an action that can save space in the shelter while also improving chances of reunification.
According to Human Animal Support Services (HASS), the vast majority of lost pets are picked up less than a mile from their homes. When kept in the neighborhood where they are found, these animals have a 70% reclaim rate. However, when they are brought to a shelter, the typical reclaim rate is only 17%.
“With space so tight in shelters across the region, we hope the SLO County community will help us keep owned pets home this Independence Day by protecting their pets from getting loose, chipping and identifying their pets, and taking steps to reunify any found pets with their owners before bringing them to the county shelter,” L’Heureux says.
Woods Humane Society and Animal Services recommend following these steps, seen in their new infographic, if you find a lost pet this Fourth of July, or at any time of year:
To avoid losing your pet due to fireworks, follow Woods’ list of Pet Fireworks Safety Tips.
Woods offers microchips for $20 by appointment; please call Woods SLO at (805) 543-9316 or Woods North County at (805) 466-5403. Please note: Woods Humane Society is closed on the Fourth of July. Microchipping is available at Animal Services for $25 on Wednesdays from 5:00-7:00pm and Saturdays from 1:00-3:00 p.m.
For more information about what to do if you find or lose a pet, visit Woods’ Lost Pet Help resource page or Animal Services’ Report a Lost Pet page. For more information about Woods, visit www.WoodsHumane.org or call (805) 543-9316. Woods Humane Society is located at 875 Oklahoma Ave., San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 and at 2300 Ramona Rd., Atascadero, CA 93422. For more information about Animal Services, visit www.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/Health-Agency/Animal-Services or call (805) 781-4400. Animal Services has moved to their new location at 865 Oklahoma Ave., San Luis Obispo, CA 93405.
In honor of National Chip Your Pet Month, Woods Humane Society announces six free microchip clinics to help members of the public protect their pets. The free clinics will be held on Fridays from 2-4 p.m. at the Woods San Luis Obispo location and on Friday May 5th and May 19th from 2-4 p.m. at the Woods North County location.
“A microchip is a tiny, affordable, and incredibly simple tool, yet it can make all the difference if your pet becomes lost at any point in its life,” says Woods Interim CEO Emily L’Heureux. “Without one, your chances of being reunited with a lost pet are much slimmer.”
The American Humane Association estimates that only 15 percent of lost dogs and 2 percent of lost cats in shelters without ID tags or microchips are reunited with their owners.
The nonprofit animal adoption center says that microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and are implanted just under the skin. Each chip contains a unique code that can be easily scanned by a vet or an animal shelter employee and matched against an identification database online. Microchips normally cost $20 at Woods Humane Society, but the fee has been waived for participants of the May microchip clinics thanks in part to the support of microchip company 24PetWatch.
“As we approach the summer months, and in advance of Fourth of July fireworks, it is crucial that pet owners protect their pets by microchipping and making sure their microchip registration is up to date with current contact information. We hope these free clinics give more pet owners access to these potentially life-saving devices.”
Local pet owners can make an appointment to get their pet microchipped for free on Fridays from 2-4 p.m. at its San Luis Obispo location, and on Friday, May 5th and May 19th from 2-4 p.m. at its Atascadero location.
For more information, visit www.SpaySLOCounty.com or call (805) 543-9316. Woods Humane Society is located at 875 Oklahoma Ave., San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 and at 2300 Ramona Rd., Atascadero, CA 93422.
