Doing a Doggone Good Job: Veterinary Assistant Student Volunteer Event

It’s pretty “ruff” work but someone has to do it – de-worming and vaccinating dogs and cats.

The “purrfect” solution, however, came on Saturday, May 7^th when about 20 Veterinary Assistant students from the SJVC Bakersfield campus volunteered their time at an event sponsored by Together Spay it Forward and Snip Bus – two organizations concerned with limiting the stray dog population.

The students provided so much assistance that, in aid to their mission to reduce reproduction of stray animals, 300 dogs were also de-wormed and vaccinated for distemper and parvo in only four hours.

Traci Childers, SJVC Bakersfield’s Veterinary Assistant instructor, was the point person who made it happen. She was approached weeks before by Together Spay it Forward to join their event with Snip Bus to address the problem that in the Kern County animal community cases of distemper had increased dramatically; the area had also become a hot bed for parvo disease. This was a great opportunity for students to practice their skills and do a great service to all.

When asked what their favorite experience of the day was, SJVC students Alondra Gonzalez and Daniella Martinez replied getting to actually apply the skills they learned in their Veterinary Assistant program, getting a feel for what the reality would be like, and learning to deal with all kinds of breeds and personalities, from whole litters of puppies and kittens to all ages and sizes – warning each other which ones were the “teddy bears,” the adorable ones, and which ones were the “alligators,” the ones prone to snapping…Learning what a veterinary assistant goes through all in a day’s work.

The event was such a success, two more events are scheduled, both on the SJVC Bakersfield campus on:

• Thursday, May 19th, 8am to 5pm and

• Thursday, June 2^nd, 8am to 5pm

(Sponsored by Together Spay It Forward and Stand Up for Pits Foundation from Los Angeles)