Things have gone to the dogs at the Kelowna campus of The College for Arts and Technology.
Okay, maybe we’re being a little dramatic, but recently, one of our groups of Veterinary Technician Assistant program students was treated to a special guest dog-focused speaker – none other than famed puppy advocate Brad Pattison and host of television’s “At The End Of My Leash.”,
Brad visited our campus to speak with the students in our Pet Psychology class. For those of you not familiar with the course, Pet Psychology class is designed to give the students an understanding of the emotional and psychological behaviors of small animals, in particular canine and feline psychology.
Overall theThis class prepares the students to be able to identify and respond to the different behaviors of animals in a veterinary clinic setting where they’ll be looking to work after graduation.
The course also helps students learn the importance of socialization in puppies and kittens and the physical and emotional aspects of pet ownership and recognizing common behavioral problems seen in cats and dogs.
Brad paid the first of many visits to our campus to lend his expertise to the conversation and elevate the students for success. It appeared that both dogs and their student owners were having a fun and informative first visit with Brad.
In addition to the in-class visit, students went on location with Brad, Veterinary Technician Assistant course instructor Kari Lesick and all their pooches to the Knox Mountain dog park. In a flurry of fur and excitement Brad and Kari took the students through some best practices for socializing their dogs with other four-legged friends as well as human interactions with familiar and new-found canine friends.
In this outing, Brad promoted a number of key techniques to our students. Among them:
- The appropriate way to approach a new dog, allowing us as humans to interact while staying safe.
- Some proper leash-holding methods were discussed.
- How to expose your dog to new sights, sounds, smells and other stimuli that might be encountered on an average walk with your dog.
This visit was scheduled to be the first of many and looks like it was the start of a great working relationship for both the College for Arts and Technology Kelowna, Brad and our community at large.
One of the Veterinary Technician Assistant program managers; Victor Poirier, has spearheaded an initiative to film these visits and produce a one-of-a-kind collaborative video collection representing the knowledge that Brad is sharing with us at CAT and the world-over.
These short video segments will cover a different area of pet psychology every week and will feature Brad Pattison, instructor Kari Lesick, our students and some different furry guests delving into topics ranging from behavioral control strategies in a veterinary clinic setting to leash control and dealing with anxiety in dogs and cats.
We’d also love to extend a hearty thanks to some students from the Professional Filmmaking program for filming all the furry fun and making this whole project possible. These informational segments will be viewable on our website and YouTube One channel for all of our two and four-legged friends to enjoy.
For those looking for more, we’ve uploaded a couple of photos and even the first video.
Are you passionate about animal welfare, all things veterinary care? Graduates from our Veterinary Technician Assistant program have gone on to have fulfilling and exciting careers in the animal healthcare sector – and beyond!
If you’re curious to know more, fill out our online inquiry form and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!