MARTINS FERRY — Senior Services of Belmont County, Belmont Metropolitan Housing Authority, Redwood Veterinary Hospital and Belmont County Animal Shelter teamed up to host a mobile rabies vaccination and dog tag clinic for housing authority residents Tuesday.

The clinic was offered at Martins Ferry’s John Laslo Apartments, Wayne Hays Tower, Selby Apartments and Hartman Manor.

Veterinarian Alyssa Wood of Redwood Veterinary Hospital and her staff provided required rabies vaccinations, and the Belmont County Animal Shelter helped residents apply for dog tags.

Belmont County Dog Warden Lisa Duvall also checked dog licenses at the clinic.

Martins Ferry Senior Center Coordinator Melissa Finney said many seniors are not able to go out and take their pet to the veterinarian, so she wanted to bring the vet to them.

She said the event was “a collaborative effort to help the elderly and disabled in our community to take responsible care of their pets.”

Leslie Thompson, senior services administrator for Belmont County Senior Services, said that many older people have strong relationships with their pets and rely on them for companionship.

“I know one lady who’s in her late 80s who has two birds, and she says that they talk to her every day,” Thompson said.

About 20 residents from all four buildings made reservations and attended the clinic.Some residents brought their dogs down just to socialize and interact with other dogs.

Finney said the organizations might make the clinic a yearly event, depending on the number of residents who need it.

Thompson suggested that in future years, senior services could host rabies and dog tag clinics at the 11 senior centers in the county.

Wood closed Redwood Veterinary Hospital on Tuesday afternoon to offer her services at the clinic.

“It was super generous of them,” Finney said.

Finney said BMHA employees also usually work in their office on Tuesdays, and she appreciated them changing their schedules to accommodate the event.

According to a press release from Senior Services of Belmont County, “Senior Services of Belmont County is very happy to be working in partnership with the Belmont Metropolitan Housing Authority, the Belmont County Animal Shelter, and Dr. Alyssa Wood of Redwood Veterinary Care, in order to bring much-needed services to senior citizens who may not find it easy to get to a veterinarian. It is our hope that the spirit of cooperation in evidence today will flourish in the future and enable us all to continue striving to meet the needs of our cherished senior citizens.”

For more information, call the Martins Ferry Senior Center at 740-633-3146. The center is located at 14 N. Fifth St., Martins Ferry, and is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

State law requires all dogs 3 months of age and older to have a current tag, and tags must be renewed annually by Jan. 31.

Tags will arrive in the mail seven to 10 days after applying.

For more information about applying for dog tags or to purchase dog tags online, visit the Belmont County Auditor’s website at belmontcountyauditor.org.

After Jan. 31, prices will increase due to a late fee.

According to the Belmont County Auditor’s website, licenses cannot be transferred from one dog to another, and purchases are non-refundable.