Story and photos by Adrian Hardy
On Saturday, August 2nd, the Sierra County Health Department and the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe (HSTT) hosted a free dog and cat vaccination and microchipping clinic, along with a Health and Wellness Fair at Loyalton Park. Loyalton Park, located at 106 Beckwith St. in Loyalton, provided the perfect backdrop for the event. It was a beautiful day — not too hot, not too cold — and with radio station JDX playing live from the park, the atmosphere felt like a small-town concert. The fair stretched across a baseball-sized field and featured 29 booths from various agencies, each offering helpful resources and information.
Upon check-in, attendees received a ticket for a free tri-tip lunch. Those who visited every booth and had their cards checked off could enter a drawing for several great prizes, including a $100 Costco gift card. I brought my two kittens — a brother and sister who had just turned 13 weeks old — to be vaccinated and microchipped by the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe. The veterinarian and staff were incredibly gentle and caring, which was truly impressive. We’ve now scheduled their spay and neuter appointments for a couple of weeks from now, taking advantage of the tremendous discount offered at the event. HSTT offers a variety of community pet services, including low-cost and free spay/neuter and microchipping, free vaccine and microchip clinics, free TNR and community cat services, financial-aid medical grants for veterinary care, and free pet food and supplies through its Pet Pantry services, available seven days per week. Their beautiful shelter houses adoptable pets who are vaccinated, microchipped, spayed/neutered, dewormed, and heartworm/leukemia tested, all before going home with their loving adopters. They also host many events throughout the year and are always looking for more fosters and volunteers to join their team!
During Saturday’s event, they saw 61 pets — 43 dogs and 18 cats; provided 30 free microchips and 138 free vaccinations (36 Bordetella, 34 DAPP, 50 Rabies, and 18 FVRCP). Eighteen pets were already microchipped, and eight people declined a microchip for their pet. HSTT offers $15 microchipping anytime, so if a community member wants to protect their pet and prepare for emergencies, they can call for an appointment.
Twenty-three of the pets seen at the clinic were unaltered, and they’ve already started booking low-cost spay/neuter appointments to prevent accidental litters, helping reduce the national pet overpopulation crisis. The primary goals of HSTT’s free vaccine and microchip clinics are to: reach and support community pet populations facing barriers to basic veterinary care; raise awareness about the importance of adoption and spay/neuter services as a means to save lives and prevent pet homelessness; provide information about support services available to community pets and their people; and encourage community members to license their dogs with a rabies license once vaccinated.
Also, thank you to the following agencies who provided resources for the event:
Agency on Aging Area 4
Alliance for Workforce Development
Connecting Point IHSS
Del Oro Caregiver Resource Center
Eastern Plumas CalAIM
Eastern Plumas Health Care – Service Excellence Advisors
First 5 Sierra
FREED Center for Independent Living
Gainwell Technologies / Smile California
Girl and Goose Boutique
Healthy Babies – Sierra County
High Sierra Family Resource Center
Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe
Incorporated Senior Citizens of Sierra County
JDX Radio Station
Legal Services of Northern California
Liberty Utilities
Loyalton Fire Department
Partnership Health Plan of California
Peak Women’s Care
Plumas Rural Services
Sierra County Behavioral Health
Sierra County Emergency Preparedness
Sierra County Probation Department
Sierra County Public Health
Sierra County WIC
Sierra Nevada Children’s Services (SNICS)
Sierra Plumas Joint Unified School District - TUPE
The Top Story
On Saturday, August 2nd, the Sierra County Health Department and the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe (HSTT) hosted a free dog and cat vaccination and microchipping clinic, along with a Health and Wellness Fair at Loyalton Park. Loyalton Park, located at 106 Beckwith St. in Loyalton, provided the perfect backdrop for the event. It was a beautiful day — not too hot, not too cold — and with radio station JDX playing live from the park, the atmosphere felt like a small-town concert. The fair stretched across a baseball-sized field and featured 29 booths from various agencies, each offering helpful resources and information.
Upon check-in, attendees received a ticket for a free tri-tip lunch. Those who visited every booth and had their cards checked off could enter a drawing for several great prizes, including a $100 Costco gift card. I brought my two kittens — a brother and sister who had just turned 13 weeks old — to be vaccinated and microchipped by the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe. The veterinarian and staff were incredibly gentle and caring, which was truly impressive. We’ve now scheduled their spay and neuter appointments for a couple of weeks from now, taking advantage of the tremendous discount offered at the event. HSTT offers a variety of community pet services, including low-cost and free spay/neuter and microchipping, free vaccine and microchip clinics, free TNR and community cat services, financial-aid medical grants for veterinary care, and free pet food and supplies through its Pet Pantry services, available seven days per week. Their beautiful shelter houses adoptable pets who are vaccinated, microchipped, spayed/neutered, dewormed, and heartworm/leukemia tested, all before going home with their loving adopters. They also host many events throughout the year and are always looking for more fosters and volunteers to join their team!
During Saturday’s event, they saw 61 pets — 43 dogs and 18 cats; provided 30 free microchips and 138 free vaccinations (36 Bordetella, 34 DAPP, 50 Rabies, and 18 FVRCP). Eighteen pets were already microchipped, and eight people declined a microchip for their pet. HSTT offers $15 microchipping anytime, so if a community member wants to protect their pet and prepare for emergencies, they can call for an appointment.
Twenty-three of the pets seen at the clinic were unaltered, and they’ve already started booking low-cost spay/neuter appointments to prevent accidental litters, helping reduce the national pet overpopulation crisis. The primary goals of HSTT’s free vaccine and microchip clinics are to: reach and support community pet populations facing barriers to basic veterinary care; raise awareness about the importance of adoption and spay/neuter services as a means to save lives and prevent pet homelessness; provide information about support services available to community pets and their people; and encourage community members to license their dogs with a rabies license once vaccinated.
Also, thank you to the following agencies who provided resources for the event:
Agency on Aging Area 4
Alliance for Workforce Development
Connecting Point IHSS
Del Oro Caregiver Resource Center
Eastern Plumas CalAIM
Eastern Plumas Health Care – Service Excellence Advisors
First 5 Sierra
FREED Center for Independent Living
Gainwell Technologies / Smile California
Girl and Goose Boutique
Healthy Babies – Sierra County
High Sierra Family Resource Center
Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe
Incorporated Senior Citizens of Sierra County
JDX Radio Station
Legal Services of Northern California
Liberty Utilities
Loyalton Fire Department
Partnership Health Plan of California
Peak Women’s Care
Plumas Rural Services
Sierra County Behavioral Health
Sierra County Emergency Preparedness
Sierra County Probation Department
Sierra County Public Health
Sierra County WIC
Sierra Nevada Children’s Services (SNICS)
Sierra Plumas Joint Unified School District - TUPE
The Top Story
