“It’s not really on our radar here,” Dennis said of the disease. “We have the wrong climate for it.”

Sobaka’s diagnosis came two days after Peterson first noticed she wasn’t feeling well and he took her to the vet.

“Her vets were not thinking leptospirosis,” Peterson said.

Peterson, an aerospace engineer, has been sharing Sobaka’s story on Facebook and with his work colleagues over the past week and says he knows of at least three dogs that have recently been vaccinated as a result.

Gina Ragonese panicked last weekend when her 10-year-old pug-poodle named Ella, who attends Sit! Stay! Play!, had an upset stomach. Suspecting leptospirosis, she immediately took Ella to the veterinarian, who conducted what’s known as a SNAP screening test for leptospirosis and the result was negative. Ella has remained healthy and on Wednesday was vaccinated.

Dennis was one of three volunteer veterinarians who gave leptospirosis vaccines to dogs at Galante’s business for five hours on Wednesday. Dog owners paid $25 per vaccine and their pets will need a booster for another $25 within the next four weeks. Prices of the vaccines vary by individual veterinary clinics and an exam is needed to make sure dogs are healthy enough to get vaccinated.