Media Contact: John A. Stokes, (202) 673-2195 (DPR)

On Saturday, November 22 from 1 to 4 pm, the DC Department of Parks and Recreation will join the DC Department of Health to host a free animal vaccination clinic. Held at the Shaw Dog Park located at 11th Street and Rhode Island Avenue, NW, owners of dogs and cats will be able to get their pets vaccinated against rabies and DHLPP (distemper, leptospirosis, parvo, and parainfluenza viruses) without charge.

District law requires that all cats and dogs over four months old be vaccinated against rabies and distemper. Only cats and dogs over three months old will be vaccinated for rabies at the clinic. Additionally, District law requires that all owners license their dogs and fit them with a license tag on their collars.

Dog licenses will be available for $13 for a spayed or neutered dog and $46 for a dog which has not been spayed or neutered. No cash will be accepted; rather, all checks and money orders should be made payable to the “DC Treasurer”.  Rabies and DHLPP shots will be free with the purchase of a DC dog license.

All pets must be brought to the clinic by a responsible adult. Dogs must be secured on a leash and cats must be secured in a carrier box.

Participants will also have the opportunity to learn more about the Shaw Dog Park, the District’s first public off-leash dog park which opened two weeks earlier.  The approximately 15,000 square foot park features two enclosures - one for large dogs (25 pounds and larger) and one for small dogs fencing, a dog park surface of pea gravel and stone dust, two enclosures - one for large dogs (25 pounds and larger) and one for small dogs, three waste disposal stations, and a community bulletin board.  Access to the dog park is from 11th Street, NW. 

Use of the dog park is free, but each dog must have a valid DC dog license and have a DC dog park registration tag.  Applications for the DC dog park registration tag are available in the "Dog Parks" section on DPR's website, DPR.DC.GOV.  DPR and DOH will be on site at the clinic to with dog park registration tag applications.

For more information, contact on the Free Animal Vaccination Clinic, Peggy Keller, Department of Health, (202) 535-2188.

For more information about ways to support or contribute to the DC Department of Parks and Recreation, please contact DPR's Office of Partnerships and Development at (202) 671-1462 or DPRpartnerships@dc.gov