Chucho and his brother Juanito waited patiently on line for their shots, like the good puppies they are. It helped that they were in the comforting arms of their mother, and that they were being offered a special treat – cheese on a stick.
The pair of young husky mixed pups were among the hundreds of dogs who received free vaccines on Saturday morning from the San Francisco chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SF SPCA). The line of cars waiting before the clinic opened stretch from Airport Way to the clinic site next to the race track.
Victoria Lopez, 16, said she brought Juanito and Chucho – Spanish for “mutt” – to the clinic so she could protect her pets.
“We wanted to get them vaccinated to protect them,” said Lopez as she held them both. “We heard about this, and it’s wonderful they did this.”
SF SPCA officials said this was their first trip to the Stockton area in nearly a decade.
“We know that many people in Stockton and Central Valley are having difficulty accessing veterinary care,” said Jennifer Scarlett, chief executive officer of SF SPCA. “Even the most basic forms of care, like vaccinations. And that’s due to economics as well as the severe vet shortage. So doing these big vaccine clinics is a way to affect a large population very quickly.”
Several volunteers from San Joaquin County and the surrounding areas helped out, along with local agencies such as the local chapter of the Animal Protection League (APL). Stockton APL community outreach director Jill Antonini said that the shortage in available veterinarians in San Joaquin County is as big an issue as it is in other areas.
“Veterinary costs have just skyrocketed, so clinics like these help the pet owners take preventive measures to keep them healthy,” Antonini said. “And it’s not just financial. It can be very difficult to find a vet.”
Scarlett said SF SPCA hopes to return to Stockton in the near future, but there is no date set at this time. Among those happy they made the rounds this time is Jorge Vargas who brought Scooby, an eight-year-old Labrador/Golden Retriever mix, for shots.
“We heard about it on the San Joaquin Animal Shelter website,” Vargas said. “It’s been a big help to us.”
As far as the SF Vet Clinic coming to the fair grounds this past weekend I wish they would have more people know about this and before it happened. Besides my self I know there’s a lot of people that would have taken that opportunity to take their pets and attended the clinic. Especially since vet costs are so expensive. I have owned animals for 56 years and the cost for any treatment is 4 x the amount it’s ever been. And none of the vets anymore really care about the animal it’s all about the money. It’s really Sad.