Green Acres Kennel

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During the month of September we will be asking all customers if they would like to make a donation to our Rabies Challenge Fund effort. If we raise over $1000, Green Acres Kennel Shop will match the donations dollar for dollar up to a total of a $1,500 match as a way to remember our Golden Retriever, Tikken, who crossed the Rainbow Bridge in February. Tikken experienced a serious reaction to the Rabies vaccine when she was only four years old. By supporting the fund you aid Rabies research to help prevent future adverse reactions. This cause is very important to us, and even more important to those that will benefit-all dogs. Please forgive us if in our enthusiasm we ask you too many times. Thank you!

If you’re ready to donate now, you may stop by the store or you may do so through our PayPal account at the button at the bottom of the page. If you’re not yet ready to donate, we hope you will want to learn more and will read on.

We chose the Rabies Challenge Fund as a way to remember Tikken because while she lived to be 16 years old, we were very concerned we were going to lose her after she had a severe reaction to a Rabies vaccination when she was only three years old (Click here to read more about this experience). While we always knew the importance of vaccinations, this tragic event caused us to learn that adverse reactions to vaccinations can be very serious as well. This was also at the time that Maine law required a Rabies vaccination every two years, even though the vaccine was labeled as being good for three years.

The Rabies Challenge Fund, and the people behind it, has been instrumental in changing Rabies laws throughout the US in an effort to prevent over-vaccination and medical issues such as those we went through with Tikken. Additionally, they have been involved in funding research efforts to help demonstrate that the Rabies vaccine is effective for even longer than three years, further reducing the risk of an adverse reaction.

The Rabies Challenge Fund is a Charitable Trust established to determine the duration of immunity conveyed by rabies vaccines. The goal is to extend the required interval for rabies boosters to 5 and then to 7 years. This project depends primarily upon grassroots gifts for funding the costs of conducting the requisite vaccine trials. Contributions to date have come mostly from kennel clubs and private individuals. The Rabies Challenge Fund Charitable Trust is a federally registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization [Fed. EIN # 84-6390682].

The Rabies Challenge Fund is the result of the vision of Kris Christine, a fellow Mainer, whose beloved six-year-old Labrador Retriever, Meadow, developed a cancerous mast cell tumor directly on the site of his most recent rabies vaccination. Meadow’s cancer and subsequent death led to Kris founding The Rabies Challenge Fund and advocating for states to adopt a 3 year rabies protocol. Dr. W. Jean Dodds serves as Co-Trustee of the Fund and supervisor of the project.

The research began in November 2007 under the direction of Dr. Ronald Schultz and The University of Wisconsin Foundation and is now in year five. Due to donations from pet owners like you, the fund has raised the required money needed for the first five years of the study and is now seeking donations to fund year six. Continuing to raise the funds is essential so the project can continue.

The Rabies Challenge Fund needs to raise a total of $1.25 million to complete the 5 and 7 year challenge studies. With your help for year six, they will be another year closer to making this goal a reality!

You can learn more about the Rabies Challenge Fund at their website (<http://www.rabieschallengefund.org/>) and FaceBook page (<https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Rabies-Challenge-Fund/119106981159>) or by listenening to our Woof Meow Show interview about the Rabies Challenge Fund with Dr. Ronald Schultz at (http://traffic.libsyn.com/woofmeowshow/WoofMeowShow-2013-07-13-Vaccinations-Rabies_Challenge_Fund.mp3).

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