The Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine (TTUSVM) hosted its biannual Barks and Recreation event Saturday at Mariposa Station in west Amarillo to raise money and to find forever homes to the dogs that are used in their program.
The free event featured about 40 vendors, live music, food trucks, and more than $5,000 worth of silent auction items. Over the last two events, every dog in the program was adopted, and 12 dogs were available. The Amarillo Animal Management & Welfare Department provided all dogs to the school for student training, and prospective owners could meet with them.
Bentley Payne, a veterinary student and co-organizer of Barks and Recreation, spoke about the importance of animals to the veterinary school and the advantages of giving them a home.
“We adopt out these dogs every semester and work with them to learn more about working with live animals,” Payne said. “Students learn how to take physical exams on them and everything else regarding small animal medicine. During this time, we do different socialization activities with them throughout the week. We take them on walks, teach them to sit and stay, lay down, and do other tricks. We work hard to find them good homes by the end of the semester.”
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According to Payne, about 20 dogs are adopted per semester, and the event has been very successful in finding the dogs' owners after each semester.
"While an undergrad, I was constantly fostering animals any chance I got,” Payne said. “I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the animals that other people didn’t really want. Of course, since all these animals came from the shelter, I would adopt all 20 of them every semester if I could. So, it’s always great to see them all get homes.”
Payne says that these dogs, with all the socialization skills they have learned from being around students and thoroughly examined, are excellent candidates for family pets.
“Having these dogs teaches our students so many valuable skills and gives them hands-on experience with small animals,” Payne said. "This hands-on experience is valuable for the students and the animals.”
Trista Mills, co-organizer of Barks and Recreation and Associate Professor of General Veterinary Practice at TTUSVM, spoke about the value of working with the community for these students who put together the event.
“Networking with the community is always important to build a repertoire for students with the communities that they will serve,” Mills said. "No matter where these students practice, they will most likely be involved in events like this. We were trying to devise a way to involve the community, not just to get them adopted.”
Mills stressed that these dogs make excellent new family members after being socialized and handled. She feels that people looking for pets should really look at animals in the shelter. All dogs adopted came with pet supplies, to help ease the transition to ownership.
She said that some students have adopted dogs in the program, but she feels that with the amount of work to be done, she wants them to advocate for the animals in their care.
“If people are on the fence about adopting an animal, there are some great animals at the shelter and in this program,” Mills said. "To be honest, everyone should have at least one dog, if not two. Dogs are the most loving, wonderful animals and have therapeutic benefits for their owners. So, if you want something that is always happy to see you, you should adopt.”
According to the school’s webpage, a few dogs are still available for adoption as of Monday. To find out more about the program, go to https://www.facebook.com/TTUVetMed/
The next event will be held in December.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Barks and Recreation sees TTU vet school students finding forever homes for dogs
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