City urges shots for cats, dogs

Clarendon officials are urging folks to get their pets vaccinated for rabies after a family dog had to be put down and tested.

City Administrator Lambert Little says state law requires dog and cat owners to get rabies shots for their animals, and a city ordinance also requires a those pets get a tag from City Hall. The tag costs one dollar, and the only requirement is proof the animal has had its shots.

“Besides being the law, it’s just the smart thing to do if you care about your neighbors and your pets,” Little said.

The administrator said a recent dog bite case in the city resulted in one family’s dog having to be put down and tested for rabies. The dog, which bit a neighbor’s child, had been a family pet for five years but had never been vaccinated. The test came back negative.

“The sad thing is when a human is the victim of an animal bite, we have to err on the side of caution,” Little said.

According to state sources, the Texas Panhandle has reported 76 percent of the rabies cases in the state this year, and Little believes the drought is driving more wildlife into populated areas, raising the risk of rabies transmission. Skunks and raccoons are two species of wild animals seen in Clarendon recently, and both have a high rate of carrying rabies.

“If a human is exposed to rabies, they have to go through a series of expensive and painful shots,” Little said.

City animal control officer Jason Christopher also encourages everyone to get pets vaccinated. The shots are inexpensive and are required for animals older than four months, he said.

In addition to the recent dog bite, Little knows of two other recent rabies tests in or near Clarendon. One was on a goat, which came back negative, and another test on a horse was positive for rabies.