A survey by Harvard Public Health finds nearly half of all dog owners are now hesitant to vaccinate their pets. Dog mom Susan Leyshon, who's also a registered nurse, said her dog is always up to date on her shots, but she's not surprised by the increased skepticism. "I think COVID and 'getting vaccinated versus not getting vaccinated' actually spread that fear and that skepticism. Unfortunately, I think that our dogs and our furry friends may actually pay the price," Leyshon said. Veterinarian Dr. Gary Minder said, "I think it's a natural thing for people to wonder, 'Why do we need to do it?' But it's really about risk assessment." Dr. Mider said new development across Tampa Bay heightens the risk of rabies contact. "Wildlife is encroaching upon us. Raccoons, foxes for sure, coyotes, all of that. All it takes is one exposure," Dr. Minder added. He said rabies vaccines offer crucial protection to our pets. "It's a killed virus product, so they're super safe. The vaccine technology takes a very small part of the rabies virus that will never cause disease, and it just stimulates an antibody response in the pet," Dr. Minder explained. "It's extremely rare to have a reaction with that." It also keeps rabies outbreaks rare, a virus the CDC reports to be 99% fatal in untreated cases. "It's just an ounce of prevention that you don't have to worry about," Dr. Minder said. MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/polkcounty/rabies-case-polk-county/67-0e392e11-ad6b-4b75-a6af-d4476272ecc4 ►Subscribe: https://on.wtsp.com/youtube ►Website: https://www.wtsp.com/ ►Facebook: https://facebook.com/10TampaBay ►X: https://twitter.com/10TampaBay