Dog Vaccination Clinic/Licensing June 7
By Chris Seymour | Correspondent at May 14, 2024 | 6:15 pm | Print
The New Britain Police Department and New Britain Animal Control will host a dog vaccination and licensing event next month on Sunday, June 7, from 9 a.m.-noon at the NBPD, 10 Chestnut St.
The three-hour event, which will take place in the parking lot behind the police station, will vaccinate dogs from rabies as well as Parvovirus, which the city requires for all canines.
“Parvo is a deadly virus that dogs can get and it’s very easily transmitted to the species,” Sgt. Paula Keller, who oversees Animal Control for the NBPD. “The city clerk is also going to be available for licensing the dogs at the [June 7] clinic so it’s a home run for folks to come down because they can get everything done all in one shot.”
For the vaccines, the total cost is $30 (cash only) and breaks down as $20 for the rabies vaccine and $10 for the Parvo vaccination. To license a dog that is spayed or neutered, the cost will be $8; dogs that aren’t spayed or neutered cost $19 to license.
“You have to have your vaccines before you get the license,” said Sgt. Keller. “And that’s one of the important things about cities and town in the state requiring that the dogs be licensed—it’s a good way for us to make sure that they are also getting their vaccines.”
Dog licenses need to be renewed each June, added Sgt. Keller. “Every year you have to renew your dog license, which a lot of folks don’t know,” she noted.
Animal Control and the police department are getting help with the clinic from the Connecticut Veterinarian Medical Association. “They are the ones who will supply the supplies and we rely heavily on veterinarians, who donate their time to do these clinics; they do them for free,” explained Sgt. Keller.
“And it’s good to be able to offer this low cost vaccine for the city for folks who maybe don’t have enough money to bring their dog to a vet because that can get awfully costly,” she added.
Anyone interested in adopting a dog is encouraged to come down to the pound, located at 642 Christian Lane in Berlin, on Wednesdays from 3-6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
“On those days, we are open for public adoptions, so people can come down and view our dogs and take a look at the facility, and if they see a dog they like they can take it for a walk, interact with it, fill out an adoption application,” said Sgt. Keller.
“We strongly encourage people to check out their local shelters before they go to a breeder; before they go and decide they want to get a puppy,” she continued. “There’s a lot of good dogs that come into our facility that nobody claims. They might not necessarily be a puppy but there’s advantages to having a grown dog—no chewing, no peeing in the house,” she said with a laugh.
The dogs in the shelter are looking to find their “forever loving home,” said Sgt. Keller, adding, “I can’t imagine that for somebody who loves animals that there could be any greater reward than rescuing a dog.”
Sgt. Keller also encouraged residents to find Animal Control’s Facebook page by searching for “New Britain Police for Pups.”
“We post a lot of our adoptable dogs there,” she said. “Sometimes, when we find a dog, we will post a picture on there to see if anybody recognizes the dog and a lot of people who adopt dogs from us send us pictures of the dogs after they get to their home so it’s nice to see our dogs acclimating to their new families; it’s very rewarding.”
Animal Control will also be on hand—potentially with some adoptable dogs—at the July 15 Pets-A-Palooza at Walnut Hill Park.
