Out for a drive with his family and their dog Sunday, Ivan Sostre was passing Clearview Park when he saw a long line of cars on the opposite side of McAree Road. They learned from a quick check of a social media post that the city of Waukegan was giving free canine vaccinations.
“We said. ‘Let’s do it,’” Sostre said. “We needed to get our dog vaccinated, so we got in line to keep our pet healthy and safe.”
The Sostre family was one of more than 200 carloads of people who took advantage of the free clinic Sunday at the Waukegan Police Animal Control facility, where the dogs got shots for parvo distemper and insertion of a microchip to help find them if they are lost.
Nicole Ravy-Garza, the supervisor of the animal control facility, said the four-hour event drew such a large crowd the supply of vaccine serum and chips set aside for the day were exhausted. Another clinic is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Nov. 10 at the shelter.
Cars — as many as 30 or 40 deep at a time at different points — lined up with dogs inside on the west side of McAree Road north of the shelter. When it was their turn, three or four at a time entered the parking lot and took their pet out of the vehicle for the injections.
Inserted through a needle just like the shots, Ravy-Garza said the microchips do more than give a dog owner a way to find a runaway pet. It is also a tool the shelter can utilize to reunite animal and owner.
“With the influx of dogs we get at the shelter, the chips are extremely helpful,” Ravy-Garza said. “A lot of people don’t know we have this technology and it can help them. It helps us get an animal back home.”
Guadalupe Aguilera said getting the chip implanted in her dog has become more and more important as the animal is a frisky pet. She brought Oreo for the treatment.
“He likes to run away a lot, so a microchip is beneficial,” she said.
Parvo distemper is highly contagious and potentially very harmful for dogs. Ravy-Garza said if dog owners are walking their pet, see a neighbor with a dog, stop to chat and the animals engage each other in traditional friendly ways, the disease can be transmitted.
“Parvo distemper is a very deadly disease for young puppies and older dogs,” she said. “It’s highly contagious for dogs who have not been vaccinated. It can happen when dogs are passing each other.”
Marisol Acosta brought her dog in for a chip. She said she also learned about the event through social media. She thinks it is a good idea for the city to offer the vaccination and chips. It helps a lot of dog owners in the community.
“This is helpful for a lot of people,” Acosta said. “It’s very expensive, and a lot of people can’t afford it.”
Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor was among the team of volunteers helping with the event, getting the dogs in and out of the cars for their treatment. The owner of four dogs herself, Taylor said a trip to the vet for a shot or chip implant can cost $600.
“Just feeding a dog is expensive,” she said. “The people here today are very responsible dog owners.”
Susan Elliot, the longtime manager of the facility who played an essential role in assuring it remained a no-kill shelter over the years, said implanting the chips is vital. She began these kinds of clinics in the past, and they have grown since, she said.
