MAYVILLE — The Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health has announced the following free rabies vaccination clinics:

¯ Thursday, July 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the town of Clymer Highway Building, 8026 Route 474 in Clymer. This clinic is sponsored by the town of Clymer and Dr. Duanne Dunnewold and Dr. Gregory Seblink will be the attending veterinarians.

¯ Thursday, July 25 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the town of Ellicott Highway Garage on East Mosher Street in Falconer. This clinic is sponsored by the town of Ellicott and Dr. Mary Fales will be the attending veterinarian.

¯ Saturday, Aug. 10 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Pomfret Highway Barn, 9636 Chautauqua Road in Fredonia. This clinic is sponsored by the town of Pomfret and Dr. Katie Ball will be the attending veterinarian.

¯ Thursday, Aug. 22 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the town of Ellington Highway Garage, 681 E. Main St. in Kennedy. This clinic is sponsored by the town of Ellington and Dr. Mary Fales will be the attending veterinarian.

Vaccinations will be provided free of charge to all dogs, cats and domesticated ferrets three months of age and older. All pets must be on a leash or in a cage and pet owners should bring rabies vaccination records for each animal that will be receiving a shot to ensure proper and effective vaccination.

New York State Public Health Law requires each dog, cat and domesticated ferret over the age of four months be vaccinated against rabies and county residents are encouraged to be responsible pet owners by having their pets vaccinated.

Rabies is a very serious disease of warm-blooded animals caused by a virus. Raccoons, bats, skunks and foxes are the common disease carriers. The virus is transmitted to humans and animals through saliva and it can enter the body from a bite, scratch, scrape or open cut. The rabies virus infects the central nervous system and can cause brain swelling and ultimately death within days of the onset of symptoms.

For more information about the clinics and rabies in general, visit http://www.co.chautauqua.ny.us/262/Rabies-Prevention or contact the Division of Public Health at 753-4481.