Effective Tuesday, the city of Vicksburg’s Animal Shelter, along with the city’s dog park near the airport on U.S. 61 South, was closed for a “minimum of two weeks.”

In a release Tuesday, officials said the reason for the closure is tied to a quarantine of the shelter’s animals due to an outbreak of kennel cough.

The shelter will not accept animals or do any adoptions during this quarantine. The shelter will also remain closed.

According to the American Kennel Club, kennel cough is a “highly contagious respiratory disease.”

Dogs commonly contract kennel cough, the AKC said, at places where large amounts of dogs gather, such as boarding and daycare facilities, dog parks, training groups and dog shows.

Dogs can spread it to one another through airborne droplets, direct contact or contaminated surfaces.

The AKC said kennel cough is highly treatable in most dogs but can be more severe in puppies younger than six months of age.