The Rabies Challenge Fund has received a $35,000 donation by the author of the national-award-winning dog health care book and two anonymous dog lovers.

The fund is a charitable trust founded by Kris Christine of Alna, who contends too-frequent rabies vaccinations are exposing pets to health risks, such as cancer. The fund helps raise money for a study to determine whether dogs could be protected with far fewer rabies shots.

The donation was made by Jan Rasmusen of San Diego – the author of the book, “Scared Poopless: The Straight Scoop on Dog Care,” – and two other donors. From May 1 to Aug. 31, for donations of $100 or more, the donors will match $1 of every $2 donated up to $35,000, and Rasmusen will send an autographed copy of her book for donations above $500 as well.

Rasmusen’s gift is in being made on behalf of herself and her dog, Chiclet, in honor of Chiclet’s companion, Jiggy, who developed autoimmune liver disease after a rabies shot, Christine said.

To protect against rabies, dogs are given shots every one to three years, depending on such factors as their age and the type of vaccine used. The study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine will examine whether rabies vaccinations immunize dogs for as long as five to seven years.

The study will run five to seven years, and the Rabies Challenge Fund is raising money to help fund the study. It raised $177,000 to fund the first year of the study, according to Christine. Its current goal is to raise $209,000 to pay for the second year of the study and some new costs, according to the fund’s Web site, www.rabieschallengefund.org.

Don Hoenig, Maine’s state veterinarian, has said he would be interested in the results of the study. But he noted that it will take years, and that rabies is a problem in Maine now. He said dogs should be vaccinated at least once every three years. “Adverse side effects, if there are any, are minimal,” Hoenig has said.