Phoenix, AZ (March 15, 2023) – Maricopa County Animal Care & Control (MCACC) is partnering with national nonprofit Petco Love to give pets their best shot for a healthy life by distributing free pet vaccines for Maricopa County pets.
Petco Love established March as “National Pet Vaccination Month” to encourage pet parents to keep their pets up to date on vaccinations and will provide free pet vaccines to MCACC for family pets in need. As puppy and kitten season approaches, pet exposure to contagious and deadly diseases – parvovirus, distemper, and panleukopenia – increases but is preventable with a simple vaccine.
MCACC aims to vaccinate more than 300 dogs through this effort. Free vaccines will be distributed on March 18th, March 25th, and March 26th from 9am to 12pm at 2801 W. Durango Street in Phoenix. This dog-centric event is a first come, first serve drive-thru style event. The vaccine distributed through the Petco Love initiative will be the DAPPv (canine Parvo/Distemper combo vaccine). MCACC will also provide microchips to dogs who need one, sponsored by LovePup. Rabies vaccines and licensing will also be provided to dog owners at no cost.
“Thanks to Petco Love, we can offer these important vaccines at no cost to dog owners,” said Gina Martino, MCACC's Community Outreach Manager. “Pet homelessness is a community issue that requires collaborative community engagement. Vaccines, microchipping, and adoptions are the pillars to combat pet homelessness. We urge community members to take advantage of this free resource to help ensure the health and wellness of our community’s pets.”
The Give Pets Their Best Shot initiative makes crucial pet vaccines accessible to pet parents who may be experiencing financial challenges and assures that cost is not a barrier to protecting pets from preventable diseases.
“Treatment for these deadly diseases can be prohibitively expensive for many pet parents,” said Susanne Kogut, Petco Love President. “By providing free vaccines to those in need, we can help these pets live a healthy life. Through this national effort and our other Petco Love Care initiatives, we continue our 22-year history of strategic investments and innovation to end unnecessary pet euthanasia.”
National Pet Vaccination Month is a continuation of Petco Love’s 1 million free pet vaccine campaign, which has helped 400,000 pets to date. Fifty percent of participating pet parents surveyed reported their pets had never been vaccinated against these diseases. With Bissell Pet Foundation as an additional partner this month, Petco Love’s goal is to increase awareness and accelerate the distribution of vaccines.
For more information about MCACC’s vaccine event, click here. Learn more about Petco Love’s national vaccine effort and lifesaving impact at petcolove.org or freepetvaccines.org.
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