Purdue veterinary conference to feature talk on human-animal bond and 5k Dog Jog

The Dr. Skip Jackson Dog Jog, named in honor of a College of Veterinary Medicine emeritus professor, is open to the public.  The annual event began in 1972 and last year attracted record participation with nearly 250 runners and more than 100 canine companions. (Photo by Ed Lausch) Download image

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine will host the Purdue Veterinary Conference from Sept. 19-23. The event will kickoff with the annual Elanco Human-Animal Bond Lecture.

Libby Richards, assistant professor of nursing at Purdue, and Niwako Ogata, assistant professor of animal behavior in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, will headline the lecture, which is free and open to the public.

The two will talk about the relationship between owners and their dogs in a presentation titled “Human’s Best Friend: The Reciprocal Relationship between Human and Canine Health.”

The lecture begins at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 19 in Stewart Center’s Fowler Hall.

The conference will wrap up with the Dr. Skip Jackson Dog Jog on Sept. 23 at Lynn Hall. The public event is a 5K run/walk sponsored by McAfee Animal Hospital, Blair Animal Hospital, Banfield Pet Hospital, Petsburgh Pet Care, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, and Royal Canin. Check-in will be at 7 a.m., with the race starting at 8 a.m. Registration is $25 for humans (Walk-up registration is $30 for humans) and $5 for dogs.

Proceeds from the race will go to the PetSafe Program, a community service offered by Purdue Veterinary Medicine to meet the short-term housing needs of pets whose owners are temporarily unable to provide care; and Priority 4 Paws, a mobile surgery unit that travels to partnering animal shelters within a day’s drive of Purdue’s main campus to spay and neuter shelter dogs and cats so that they can be adopted more quickly.

At the Dog Jog, local shelters will provide adoptable dogs that can run in the race with participants. There also will be booths set up at the end of the route to provide information about adoptions. For more information, visit http://www.purduedogjog.com/.

The Purdue Veterinary Conference is an annual program that provides vital continuing education opportunities for veterinarians and veterinary technicians.  Held in Stewart Center, the Purdue Memorial Union and Lynn Hall, the conference serves more than 1,200 attendees, including veterinary professionals from Indiana and across the country. 

Writer: Megan Huckaby, 765-496-1325, mhuckaby@purdue.edu 

Source: Kevin Doerr, director of public affairs and communications in the College of Veterinary Medicine, doerrk@purdue.edu