By Vanessa Dabovich
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/krwg/local-krwg-988198.mp3
Las Cruces, NM – The Dona Ana County Special Projects Office is collaborating with The Humane Society of Southern New Mexico, SNAP program and ACTion Programs for Animals to provide free and low cost rabies vaccinations today.
The vaccinations will be provided free of charge for owners who can show proof of government assistance. The cost is five dollars for owners without government assistance documentation.
Volunteers from the APA food bank will be on hand to accept pet food donations. APA President and Director Michelle Meunier says the organizations currently provides pet food to around forty families a week with the demand increasing from four thousand pounds a month to around ten thousand now. She also says rabies vaccinations are still very important.
Meunier-"It's to reach those people who still have not had their pets rabies updates for whatever reason. Rabies is pretty much under control from the standpoint of domestic animals. You don't hear many cases anymore of domestic animals transferring rabies to humans, but that's because we vaccinate and have done a good job maintaining that."
The Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley will also be on hand to conduct pet adoptions and the SNAP program will be issuing spay and neuter vouchers to qualified owners.
The event will run from nine in the morning until two in the afternoon today on the north lawn of the Dona Ana Government Center.