Pet vaccine clinic in Canonsburg
Katie Anderson/Observer-Reporter
Joni Gnora, of Donora, registers her eager dog Honey for vaccines at the Canonsburg fire station Sunday, during a vaccine clinic put on by Pet Search.
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Katie Anderson/Observer-Reporter
Lilly was prepared for the chilliest day of the year Sunday, with a sweater she wore to the Canonsburg fire station, where she was vaccinated during a clinic put on by Pet Search.
Katie Anderson
Rogue, a 4-month-old German shepherd puppy, gets vaccinated Sunday during a clinic put on by Pet Search at the Canonsburg fire station.
Katie Anderson
Hank, a 1-year-old St. Bernard, was one of the largest pups to be vaccinated Sunday during a clinic put on by Pet Search at the Canonsburg fire station.
Katie Anderson
Lilly was prepared for the chilliest day of the year Sunday, with a sweater she wore to the Canonsburg fire station, where she was vaccinated during a clinic put on by Pet Search.
Katie Anderson
Hank, a 1-year-old St. Bernard, was one of the largest pups to be vaccinated Sunday during a clinic put on by Pet Search at the Canonsburg fire station.
Katie Anderson
On right, Hank, a 1-year-old St. Bernard, meets some much smaller pups, while being registered for vaccinations Sunday during a clinic put on by Pet Search at the Canonsburg fire station.
The chilliest morning of the year didn’t stop Washington County residents from lining up with their fur babies outside the Canonsburg fire station Sunday for Pet Search’s vaccine clinic.
The nonprofit offers four clinics a year, as a low-cost opportunity for residents to get their pets vaccinated and microchipped.
“For a lot of people, they still can’t get in to see their regular vets because of the abbreviated hours,” Knight said. “So we’re providing this as a community service. It is not a wellness clinic, because you can see we’re doing a larger volume.”
Sherry said she and her husband Kent Knight started Pet Search in 1986. A few years later, they started an annual rabies clinic. Since then, they’ve moved the clinic to several places around the county, like North Strabane and Jessop Place.
“People started saying, ‘we need more,'” Knight said.
Now, they hold four clinics a year at the Canonsburg fire station, where they’ve been the last five years, Sherry Knight said. They have one in February, April, August and October.
Helping out Sunday, were veterinarians from Brush Run Veterinary Clinic in McMurray. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the clinic provided all the vaccines for dogs and cats. The cost to residents was the cost of the vaccine, Knight said. The rabies vaccine, for example, is $8, she said.
“We are seeing a bigger and bigger need for Lyme vaccines because of tics,” Knight said. “With our rescue organization, we’re seeing probably eight out of 10 dogs coming into our program that we’re testing have Lyme disease.”
Knight said the clinics aren’t a fundraiser for Pet Search, though they do typically receive donations. They offer a small stipend to the veterinarians and a donation to the fire department.
“We’re here for the community,” Knight said.