ST. LUCIE COUNTY – In recognition of World Rabies Day, St. Lucie County’s Animal Safety Division will host the 5^th Annual Drive-up Rabies Vaccination Event at the St. Lucie County Fairgrounds on Saturday, Sept. 26 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Due to the high demand last year and the long wait times for services, this year's event will only be available to the residents of the unincorporated areas of St. Lucie County. Residents of the City of Fort Pierce and City of Port St. Lucie will need to contact the animal control agency in their jurisdiction for any rabies vaccination events that may be offered to their residents.

Pre-registration is required, so staff can make sure all owners and animals are in the county’s system at the time of vaccination to keep the lines moving. Pre-registration opens on Tuesday, Sept. 1, and will close at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 23. Any requests received prior to the opening of the pre-registration will not be processed. As a part of this outreach event, microchips will also be available at no cost to the pet owner if the pet is not already microchipped. Residents will be required to register their pets with a county license with the St. Lucie County Animal Safety Division after the event has concluded.

Dogs must be on a leash, and cats must be in a secure carrier. Residents who show up to the event with no pre-registration appointment will not be able to receive services. There will be no rain-check appointments available.

To request an appointment, pet owners need to provide their name, address, phone number, the number and type of animals (cat or dog) and an emergency contact name and phone number by email to: Animal.Safety@stlucieco.gov. Residents must also include a copy of their driver’s license or government-issued ID and proof of residency in order to have their request for an appointment processed. Rabies vaccines and microchips are limited to five per household.

For those who pre-register, entry to the event will be from Peacock Road (past the main fairgrounds entrance) for the residents to pick up paperwork and form a line the morning of the event. Entry is not the main entrance to the fairgrounds. Anyone who comes through the main entrance and gets in line will not have the necessary paperwork they will need when they pull up to the veterinarian station and will not be able to receive services.

According to the World Health Organization, rabies is a vaccine-preventable viral disease, which occurs in more than 150 countries and territories. Dogs are the main source of human rabies deaths, contributing up to 99% of all rabies transmissions to humans, with 40% of people bitten by a suspected rabid animal being children under the age of 15. Globally, rabies causes an estimated cost of $8.6 billion per year.