ANUAL CITY TAG & RABIES CLINIC

Every year around this time, the City of Eureka and Dr. Droge and his staff get together and have our annual City Tag & Rabies Clinic. This year will be no different. The Clinic will be held on February 21st, at Memorial Hall, from 9:00AM to 12:00PM.

This is the best time of the year to purchase those annual City tags for your dogs and cats. Yes, I said cats. City Code requires cats have tags as well as dogs. The cost of tags for animals that have been spayed or neutered is $4.00. For animals that have not been spayed or neutered, $30.00. This is really the very best time of the year to get these tags, because after March, there will be a $2.00 penalty fee for every month past March that you wait. So...that $30.00 tag you might have purchased in March, will cost you $42.00 in September for example. So getting them now, can save you later. Also, a dog or cat with tags is much easier to return home in the event they slip out and get picked up.

Dr. Droge will also be offering a discount on his shots as well, although at this time, I do not have information on what it will be. A current rabies vaccination is required for the purchase of City tags. Typically, rabies vaccinations are good for a year, although longer term vaccinations are available. Ask Dr. Droge what is best for you and your pet.

Please be aware that City tags are due every year, in March. If you get a dog in August and get your tags then, they will still need to be renewed in March of the following year. They do not go from August to August, November to November, and so forth.

As a final note, please be aware that every dog or cat is required to have current rabies and City tags if they reside within the City limits. While there is a age limit for the rabies vaccination (generally puppies and kittens under 6 months of age are not required to have rabies shots), there is no such age limit for the City tags. Puppies and kittens are required to have the City tags, regardless of age.

I would like to encourage all pet owners to do the right thing, and get your pets vaccinated and tagged. The fines can be steep if you are caught without them. More importantly, the rabies vaccination is also a public health issue, since household pets can come into contact with rabid squirrels, raccoons, skunks and other critters. Help protect your pets, and your community, and gets those shots and tags while they are the least expensive! Your pets will thank you, and your neighbors will too!

A New Year!

The year may be new, but - alas - we still have the same old problems. Too many dogs running loose. Too many animals without current rabies vacinations or current City tags. And of course, too many animals without good homes.

Let's all try and make this a better year than 2008. Please be more vigilant with your pets. If you are unsure about the current City Codes regarding the number & types of animals you are allowed, please call me at 750-0302. I would happy to help you figure out what you need to do to avoid getting an unnesscesary citation.

If you have issues regarding the training of your dog, the best food for your pets, or need to know more about the City Tethering Ordinance, please be sure to call me as well.

The annual City Tag & Rabies Clinic will be sponsored again this year, and is currently scheduled to happen in February. It will be at Memorial Hall like it was last year. I will make sure an ad is posted in the paper, and will also annnounce it on the radio. A poster will also placed on the door at City Hall. The actual day and time has not been set yet, but will be decided soon...so check back frequently.

Let's all work together this year and make Eureka a safer and more pet friendly community!