The phrase comes from Health and Safety Code section 121690, which opens with the words "In rabies areas, all of the following shall apply." You will rarely hear it at a front desk, but it explains why a rabies certificate is the first vaccine record a kennel asks for.
What the statute says
Section 121690 lists what a dog owner must do inside a rabies area. Every dog owner must license the dog at least every two years once the dog reaches four months, under the ordinance of the responsible city or county. Every owner must also have the dog vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian once the dog is three months or older, at intervals the state health department sets, no more often than once a year. The text is on the page about dog licenses in Solano and Yolo counties in plain terms.
Puppies and medical exemptions
Dogs under four months must stay on the owner's premises or under physical restraint. The law also allows a licensed veterinarian to document, year by year, that a rabies shot would endanger a dog's life because of disease or other verified reasons. The local health officer can then issue an exemption, and the statute says an exempt dog is considered unvaccinated. Any exempt dog can also be confined and kept away from animals that are not currently vaccinated for rabies. The statute's wording is the reason the topic is treated carefully; read rabies exemptions in California before a trip if your veterinarian has written one.
How it shows up in a Happy Paws stay
The kennel asks for current rabies proof for every dog, and the rule is the same for cats: no pet is accepted without proof of a current rabies vaccine. The law behind the dog requirement is the statute above. For cats the state statute names dogs, so the cat requirement comes from the kennel's own boarding rules rather than from section 121690. Rabies vaccines come as 1-year and 3-year products, your veterinarian chooses the product, and the certificate's expiration date is what the kennel checks.
The records have to be good through the end of the stay, not just the first day. A certificate that expires on day three of a ten-night booking needs a renewed copy before drop-off. Pets must also be 16 weeks old before the first day, a little past the three-month point in the statute, with all vaccinations for their age.
Sending the certificate
- Ask your veterinarian for the rabies certificate, or find the copy in your pet's records.
- Upload it to your ProPetware account (the Book / My Account link), email it, or bring a copy to the first check-in.
- Check the expiration date against the day you pick up, not the day you drop off.
- Send updated records after any booster.
Rabies tag or certificate
The tag on the collar is a license or rabies tag issued under local rules. The record the kennel files is the vaccination certificate. Read the rabies certificate entry and is a rabies tag enough proof of vaccination for the difference.
Where to read more
For the shots a dog needs each year, see rabies vaccine for dogs; for cats, rabies vaccine for cats. Call 707-678-6600 with questions about a specific record.