Atlantic County to Resume Free Rabies Vaccination Clinics

Having been postponed for the past few months due to COVID-19, officials with the Atlantic County Animal Shelter will be resuming their free rabies vaccination clinics.

According to the county, a canine clinic is scheduled for Sunday, July 12th, and a feline clinic is scheduled for Sunday, July 26. Both will be held from 9AM to noon by appointment only with a limit of three pets per appointment.

Officials are quick to point-out that the clinics are animal-specific, meaning only dogs can be brought to the canine clinic and only cats to the feline event.

Dogs must be on leashes, cats must be in carriers, and people must wear masks. Owners are encouraged to provide previous rabies vaccination records, if available.

The rabies clinics come just as two rabid bats were found in Atlantic County. The first was collected from the 300 block of Hanthorn Street in Mays Landing; it tested positive on July 1st. The second bat was collected from the 1400 block of 12th Avenue in Weymouth Township on June 30th; tests conducted by the state on July 6th confirmed it had rabies.

All animal bites should be reported to the Atlantic County Division of Public Health at (609) 645-5971.