Community Corner

Winchester to Host Rabies Clinic on Saturday

Clinic open to residents of Woburn, said Animal Control Officer Jay Donovan.

It’s that time of year again. Once the weather begins to get warmer and the seasons change from winter to spring, rabies becomes an issue yet again.

“All those animals—raccoons, skunks, possums and bats—that have the highest risk of carrying rabies are all being born,” Winchester Animal Control Officer, Jerry Smith said. “In the winter most of them are hibernating and in the spring time if you see those animals acting odd it’s either distemper or rabies.”

The  along with David Barstow of the  and Smith, will be hosting a rabies clinic this Saturday at the  from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

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The clinic is open to residents and non-residents, and costs $10 per shot.

“We’re trying to get every animal vaccinated,” Smith said. “You don’t have to live in Winchester to come, and it doesn’t matter how many animals you have.”

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Massachusetts state law says that every animal needs to have a rabies shot, which lasts for one year.

However, according to Smith, if an animal has two shots in less than a year then the second one is good for an additional year. And since this clinic is taking place within a year of the previous clinic, if an owner brings proof of vaccination from last year’s clinic, Saturday’s shot will be good for two years.

But even if an animal has a rabies shot, a bite from a potentially rabid animal could still infect it.

“If an animal’s bit then they should get revaccinated,” Smith said. “The shot’s not 100 percent, it’s close, but in order to protect your pet from getting rabies you should definitely boost it with another shot.”

Smith said that he’s hoping to have over 100 pets show up at this year’s clinic. He said the numbers have been dwindling over the years, but by including other towns, he is expecting to see an increase in the number of animals vaccinated. 


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