FARMINGTON — Missy, an 18-month-old standard American Eskimo dog, sat in the front seat of the white truck next to her owner Ron Stoddart, unsure of what lay ahead at the drive-thru rabies and licensing clinic. It certainly wasn't burgers and fries.
Missy gladly accepted the treats at the paperwork station and the fee station, excited to get attention. It wasn't until the final station, when a Heartsong staff member gave Missy her vaccinations, that her eyes grew wide and a look of betrayal crossed her face.
The Davis County Animal Care & Control department in conjunction with Heartsong Spay Neuter Clinic created a two-lane drive-thru in the Legacy Event Center parking lot on Saturday, designed to serve the vaccination and licensing needs of dogs and cats in the comfort of pet owners' vehicles.
"Anything to make it easier on the pet and the owners is great," said Stoddard, who mentioned that Missy is afraid of the vet clinic and that catching her by surprise was much easier and quicker.
Missy wasn't the only dog surprised by the vaccination clinic — dogs Lulu, a black lab, and Juniper, a pug, were not expecting to receive vaccines on Saturday either.
"When we get into the car, it usually means we are going hiking or for a walk, so they were definitely caught by surprise," said Linda Watts, Lulu and Juniper's owner, who says she normally takes her dogs into the vet for vaccinations, but that the drive-thru was more convenient.
For several cat and dog owners, participating in the drive-thru was cheaper than taking their pets to the vet, because owners only had to pay for the vaccinations, chips and licenses — rather than the cost of the treatment and the vet's fee.
Wendy Wilburn said she had a tight budget and three cats, so paying $20 for vaccinations for Mystery, the once-stray cat Wilburn took in and nursed back to health, was both easy and affordable.
Unfortunately, the cost and convenience didn't make watching her dorkie, Penny, be in distress any easier for Chelsea Bartschi.
"I might cry," said Bartschi, who gingerly handed Penny to Ryann Weisner, a staff member at Heartsong Spay Neuter Clinic, to hold while veterinarian Kathy Lindstrom gave Penny three vaccines and a microchip.
The idea of a drive-thru clinic came after Clint Thacker, Director of the Davis County Animal Care & Control, visited a similar clinic on a business trip in Louisiana.
Thacker felt that something similar would benefit Davis County residents and their pets and began planning Utah's version of the drive-thru rabies and licensing clinic in May of this year.
"It's a growing creation," said Thacker, who said that nearly 50 cars, some with several pets were helped on Saturday, and that he hoped the program would make an appearance again next year.
Email: chansen@deseretnews.com, Twitter: curlybrunette13