Kherz’den Humphrey
Editor-In-Chief
Crowder’s Veterinary Technology Program offers many things to students, but it also offers something to the public as well. Pet adoptions. According to Shawna Estep, the Vet Tech Program director and instructor, “the animals in our program all come from a local shelter, Faithful Friends.” The animals are adopted by Crowder and used during their labs and teachings during class, though it isn’t nearly as bad as it sounds.
The animals live on campus in either the cattery or the kennel, where they are loved and cared for by the Vet Tech students. During their time at Crowder, the animals are vaccinated, dewormed, chipped, spayed/neutered and current on all preventative medicines. The best part? They are all socialized as well. Students are assigned a specific animal that they then take care of, including some basic training and daily enrichment.
“We place them on the Crowder website for adoption towards the end of the semester, after the animals have been spayed or neutered.” Each animal is listed with their name, availability, and a short description of them and their personality.
In order to adopt a pet, there are a few things you need to do first. Fill out the application, then pay a fee if you are accepted. The application is very thorough to ensure the animals are given a home proper to their needs and personality.
There are basic questions such as name, address, and if you have any roommates or a partner. Then there are the deeper questions, regarding the pet’s living conditions, discipline and characteristics, as well as if you have any current pets. The fee is small at only $40. This is to cover the first year of tracking from the chip that is given while the animal is at Crowder.
“We would never want to place an animal who has previously been in an animal shelter, for whatever reason, to potentially be surrendered again because of incompatibility with a new family.” Because of this, there is no guarantee that you would be accepted for the specific animal you are wanting. “For example, if we have a quiet or elderly animal we look for a quiet indoor home that will be a good match,” says Estep.
If you are interested in adopting an animal from Crowder’s Vet Tech Program, visit the Veterinary Technology page at Crowder.edu or call 417.455.5590 / 417.455.5772.
Leave a Reply