Baywater Animal Rescue hosts vaccination clinic for pets of residents in need

CAMBRIDGE — As Baywater Animal Rescue takes steps to open a veterinary clinic, the no kill shelter in Cambridge isn’t just waiting around.

May 8, Baywater held a vaccination clinic where it provided vaccinations free-of-charge to 23 pets of low-income Dorchester County residents.

Baywater Animal Rescue Executive Director Carly Stockus said the organization is slowly but surely making its way through the state requirements necessary for opening a veterinary clinic.

“This was our dipping our toe in the water,” she said about the May 8 vaccination clinic.

At the vaccination clinic, cats and dogs received rabies vaccinations as well as other core vaccinations in the shelter’s new Bacon Family Adoption Center. Midshore Veterinary Service veterinarian Dr. Olivia Holden and veterinary technician Jillian Casey were brought in to administer the vaccines.

Stockus said these vaccines are important for pet health and to reduce the spread of diseases that could be detrimental to animals. She said each annual rabies vaccines can cost upwards of $25.

“It does cost a lot to go into the traditional veterinary clinics,” she said. “So that’s why it’s important to have these low-income programs available to communities.”

The pet owners were excited for the opportunity, Stockus said. Along with the vaccinations, some pets were prescribed flea and tick and heartworm prevention medicines.

“So they were so happy and excited to be able to get all of these services in one,” Stockus said.

She said there wasn’t a slow moment throughout the clinic.

And to the excitement of the dogs and cats, many left with toys and treats.

“We use absolutely everything we can,” Stockus said about what’s donated to Baywater. “But we get an overflow of those things. So we always have these bins of items that are available for people in our community to come utilize and take.”

Stockus thanked the volunteers and donors for their help. She said the shelter could not have put the clinic on without one donor in particular, Sandy Hooper.

“We were just so grateful for everybody helping us through this and being able to put smiles on lots of pet owner faces yesterday,” Stockus said.

Although the shelter hopes to put on more vaccination clinics, it doesn’t have any future dates lined up yet. Stockus said that as Baywater proceeds with licensing requirements for a veterinary clinic, she hopes they will be able able to offer vaccination clinics on a more regular basis.

“We’re just taking our time to make sure we do everything right,” she said. “And then we hope to open these programs up to the community to hopefully help, first and foremost, those that cannot get that readily available vet care ... Help reduce those costs for them and ensure that the pets of our community are getting the care that they need.”