VT students, professors help find new homes for dogs at Regional Center for Animal Care in Roanoke
BLACKSBURG, Va. (WFXR)—In collaboration with the Regional Center for Animal Care and Protection in Roanoke, Virginia Tech researchers and students are helping find dogs homes.
Students in VT’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ School of Animal Science have been working with dogs from the Regional Center for Animal Care and Protection as a part of a course to help place dogs in adoptive homes. In this course, students socialize, train, and work hands-on with 24 dogs over the semester. Students are paired with one dog for about a month, training and caring for them in hopes of finding the dog a new home at the end of their stay.
Through this course, Assistant Professor Lisa Gunter and Associate Professor Erica Feuerbacher are providing students with canine behavioral knowledge, a better understanding of animal welfare, and the mechanical skills of dog training.
“This is one of the most experiential courses we offer with companion animals because of the significant lab and hands-on activities out of the classroom,” Gunter said, “Students train behaviors, help their dogs learn to work around other dogs, and provide enrichment several times a week.”
Virginia Tech online programs rank towards the top, according to U.S. News & World Report
As the students learn about their dogs, they take photos and videos and create adoption profiles. Students then attend adoption events with their dogs and meet and greet with potential owners.
Overall, professors in this program aim to show that while this is a great learning experience for students, it also improves the dogs’ well-being and increases the likelihood of being adopted.
“Not only do we hope this level of behavioral care and support is beneficial to the dogs,” Gunter added. “We believe there can be a lot of benefits for the students beyond the building of their behavior and training skills when they see what they’re doing is having such a positive effect on the animals.”
The first adoption event is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFXRtv.
