Students Exploring Careers in Veterinary Science
By Sydney Kyhos
The Timber Creek veterinary program offers opportunities to students interested in medicine or those just interested in picking up a new hobby. Simply put, through the doggy daycare, the TC vet program gives teachers the option to bring their dogs to the daycare for a price of ten to twenty dollars, and the students are given an opportunity to take care of the dogs and learn more about the veterinary profession. The vet clinic daycare encourages students to work with pets and pet owners alike as they are in charge of walking, grooming, and cleaning the vet clinic as well as interacting with the dog-owning teachers.
When Timber Creek vet students are not in charge of pets in the doggy daycare, they are learning more about veterinary care in the classroom. Whether it be learning about dog anatomy, dog breeds, or how to work with pets, students are being further enriched in veterinary care. Vet students are not free from tests, however. At the beginning of each year, veterinary students are challenged to memorize the name of every dog and their respective owner, preparing them to work with the pets all year round.
The veterinary program also holds an annual dog wash at the beginning of the school year. Many students in the vet program volunteer at the dog wash and have jobs such as a drying station, washing station, ear cleaning station, and nail cleaning station. On top of all of that, every pet receives their own bandana when finished. All of this is done by the students for the price of twenty dollars and all of the money goes back to the vet program.
As for the students in the vet program, many of them thoroughly enjoy working in the doggy daycare. Junior Ella McLaughlin, a member of the vet program for three years, said that her favorite part is “sitting and holding the dogs.” The vet program members also grow attached to the dogs that they work with. Junior and third year vet student, Beatrice Rodriguez, claims that her favorite dog was “Grover [because he’s] a poodle who is very sophisticated and knows how to walk.”
Because the vet program allows students to actually work with dogs, it requires high quality supplies. Many supplies are donated, helping the continuation of the program and allowing future veterinary program students to experience what being in the vet program is all about. If you are interested in supporting the Timber Creek veterinary program, an Amazon wishlist can be found on their Instagram page, @timbercreekvetcliniclab.
Photo Donated