Wayne State Sets Vet Care Partnerships With Four Animal Shelters
DETROIT -- Wayne State University announced partnerships with four local animal shelters to provide veterinary care for rescue animals at Wayne State. The shelters include the Detroit Dog Rescue, Brownstown Animal Shelter, Southgate Animal Shelter, and What We Do for the Love of Pets.
The students and faculty of the Veterinary Technology Program, a joint training program through Wayne State University and Wayne County Community College District that leads to an associate of applied science degree, will provide the necessary animal care, including vaccination, sterilization and higher level care as needed.
"This new partnership will train our veterinary technician students in the essential services they need to learn for their future career roles," said Lisa Brossia, D.V.M., senior director and attending veterinarian of WSU's Division of Laboratory Animal Resources. "In addition, we are providing dogs with critical care such as sterilization and vaccination, and other care they may need, including behavioral training. It is a win-win opportunity for our students, the shelters and the animals that we will be taking care of."
According to Brossia, the goal is to prepare all animals for adoption. "Some of the animals may be in our care for just a few days, while others may need a bit more intense care for various health issues or behavioral training," said Brossia. "This is an important element of educating our students, and also allows us give back to the community through the care we are providing these animals."
Since 1973, the Veterinary Technology Program has prepared graduates to become an integral part of veterinary medical teams in private veterinary hospitals, as well as nature centers, zoos and more. WCCCD teaches all of the non-animal courses, handles course registrations and confers graduates with their degrees. WSU teaches all animal-related courses, and provides direction of the program and a major portion of the faculty, facilities and supplies.
Stephanie Bulger, WCCCD's vice chancellor of educational affairs and distance learning, said the district supports the new initiative because community engagement and service learning are an integral part of the educational experience for students.
"For many years, Wayne County Community College District has partnered with Wayne State University to offer the high-quality Veterinary Technology Program," said Bulger. "Our graduates consistently achieve high pass rates due to the rigor of the program, well-equipped facilities and excellent faculty."
To learn more about the Veterinary Technology Program, visit http://www.dlar.wayne.edu/vtp/.
For animal adoption information from the four partner animal shelters, visit http://detroitdogrescue.com, http://brownstown-mi.org/adopt_a_pet.html, www.southgatemi.org/index.php?idpage=60 and www.adoptapet.com/shelter81630-pets.html.
