The Animal Welfare Society’s Community Veterinary Clinic will offer free microchips and rabies vaccines for dogs and cats from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 2. The clinic is located on the campus of Animal Welfare Society at 46 Holland Road in West Kennebunk.

The Animal Welfare Society encourages all pet families in the community to microchip their pets and to keep them up-to-date with their rabies vaccinations.

The Animal Welfare Society’s Community Veterinary Clinic will offer free microchips and rabies vaccines for dogs and cats from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 2. Dan King / Post

“Microchips are small devices, about the size of a grain of rice, that a veterinarian inserts under the pet’s skin near their shoulder blades,” wrote Abigail Smith, AWS executive director, in an Oct. 23 news release. “It’s a painless procedure that takes only a few minutes. AWS’ Community Veterinary Clinic offers microchip insertion can during wellness appointments or procedures (including spay/neuter surgeries). Additionally, all AWS dogs and cats are microchipped prior to adoption.”

According to the society, a microchip is an important tool in pet identification, should a pet get lost or run away. Local animal shelters, including AWS, most veterinarians, and many police departments have special microchip scanners to use when an unidentified (lost or stray) pet comes into the facility. If a chip is found, the pet’s owners’ contact information will pop up, thus hastening a happy reunion. A recent study indicates that a dog with a microchip is three times more likely to be reunited than one without. For felines, who rarely wear collars and tags and who spend more time outdoors, the figure is staggering. Microchipped cats are 20 times more likely to be returned to their families than cats without a microchip.

AWS’ microchip and rabies vaccine clinic on Nov. 2 is open to the public at no cost. Dogs and cats over 12 weeks of age can receive a microchip, a rabies vaccine, or both. To receive a three-year rabies vaccine, pet owners must bring the pet’s previous rabies certificate or records from a vet. Otherwise, the pet will receive a one-year vaccine.

For more information or to RSVP, visit https://animalwelfaresociety.org/event/microchip-rabies-vaccine-clinic-1124/.  Attendees can choose a time slot as well as which services their pets will need. Drop-ins are welcome on the day of, as supplies last.

While there will be no cost for microchips or rabies vaccines, donations are welcome and will support AWS’ mission of providing for pets and their families. More than 10,000 pets come through AWS and its on-site Community Veterinary Clinic each year.

For more information, visit https://animalwelfaresociety.org/veterinary-care/.

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