Petco Love and Miami-Dade County Animal Services aim to stop the spread of deadly preventable diseases through free pet vaccination event

Miami-Dade County Animal Services (Animal Services) will provide free vaccinations for South Miami-Dade area pets during the Mega Puptoberfest Event. The free vaccines are made possible through Petco Love's national vaccination initiative Vaccinated and Loved, which is providing an additional one million free pet vaccines to existing animal welfare partners, including Animal Services, for family pets in need.

Parvovirus and distemper in dogs and panleukopenia in cats — the most prevalent deadly diseases affecting pets — are preventable with a simple vaccine. An estimated 30% of pet parents do not take their pet to a veterinarian annually for preventative care. To ensure the health and wellness of our beloved pets and to address this critical need, Animal Services and Petco Love have partnered to make pet vaccines free and accessible.

Through this national effort, Animal Services aims to vaccinate 150 pets at Mega Puptoberfest on October 18, 2025, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. The event is at Deerwood Bonita Lakes Park at 14445 SW 122 Avenue in Miami, Florida. The free pet vaccines from Petco Love will be distributed on a first come first served basis, and there are no requirements to qualify for the vaccines. 

The free vaccines distributed at events through the Petco Love initiative will be the DAPPv Canine and HCP Feline vaccines. Animal Services will also provide rabies and Bordetella vaccines and microchips at no cost to the public.

“Thanks to Petco Love, we can offer these important vaccines at special events like the Mega Puptoberfest at no cost to pet parents,” said Annette Jose, director of Miami-Dade Animal Services. “We urge community members to come out to Mega Puptoberfest and take advantage of this no-cost resource to ensure the health and wellness of our community’s pets.”

“Vaccinations are vital to protecting our beloved pets from life-threatening but preventable diseases,” said Susanne Kogut, President of Petco Love. “Our goal is to make these critical vaccines accessible to as many pet parents as possible, breaking down financial barriers and strengthening the human-animal bond.”

In November 2024, Petco Love’s Vaccinated and Loved initiative reached its goal of distributing three million free pet vaccines for family pets, and the organization is determined to reach even more pets in need by providing an additional one million free vaccines. The campaign was launched in August 2021, encouraging Petco Love animal welfare partners to host free vaccine clinics. 

For more information about vaccine distribution, contact Animal Services at miamidade.gov/animals. Learn more about Petco Love’s lifesaving impact at PetcoLove.org. 

About Miami-Dade County Animal Services: 
Every year Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department (Animal Services) provides care and refuge to almost 15,000 lost, abandoned, injured, ill, or abused dogs and cats and affords vaccination and sterilization services to almost 20,000 free-roaming community cats. Every day, Animal Services staff works diligently to find life-long homes for these shelter animals by facilitating onsite adoptions, hosting offsite adoptions at events and locations throughout the community, and working collaboratively with rescue organizations, volunteers, and adoption partners. For more information visit www.miamidade.gov/animals and follow @AdoptMiamiPets on Facebook, Instagram and X.

About Petco Love:
Petco Love is a life-changing nonprofit organization that makes communities and pet families closer, stronger, and healthier. Since our founding in 1999, we’ve empowered animal welfare organizations by investing nearly $425 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts. We’ve helped find loving homes for more than 7 million pets in partnership with Petco and organizations nationwide. Our love for pets drives us to lead with innovation, creating tools animal lovers need to reunite lost pets, and lead with passion, inspiring and mobilizing communities and our more than 4,000 animal welfare partners to drive lifesaving change alongside us. Is love calling you? Join us. Visit PetcoLove.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, and LinkedIn to be part of the lifesaving work we lead every day.