April 5, 2005
School of Veterinary Medicine to celebrate 42nd annual open house
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Extraordinary dogs are no strangers to the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, and there will be plenty of opportunities to see them at work on April 16 in demonstrations by seeing-eye dogs, search-and-rescue dogs, and dogs that catch Frisbees and herd ducks.
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The school's 42nd annual open house will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in and around the Lynn Hall of Veterinary Medicine. The event, which is free and open to the public, is part of the university's Spring Fest on April 16-17.
"Traditionally, the open house is organized by third-year students, and they have always done a great job showcasing the phenomenal work that is done in our school," said John VanVleet, associate dean of academic affairs and professor of veterinary pathology. "The students this year have done exceptional work at coordinating all the fun and interesting activities."
The third-year veterinary medicine student co-chairs this year are Erika Pailer, from North Tonawanda, N.Y., and Danielle Berube, of Albuquerque, N.M.
The newest dogs showing off their talents will be presented by James McEwen, who is bringing border collies and ducks for herding demonstrations at 10 a.m. and noon in front of Lynn Hall.
Other dogs strutting their stuff will be Bill Marion's disk-catching dogs, a favorite at the open house for several years. The four border collies – Bajure, Duke, Star and Indy – appear regularly at festivals, daycare centers and parties, but Marion doesn't charge for the special appearance at the School of Veterinary Medicine event.
"The people at the vet school were so good to me when my dog, Yeller, got sick with cancer that I felt obliged to help out at their open house," Marion said. "My dogs and I just love coming here and showing people what we can do."
Marion and his dogs will combine athletic feats with comedy at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in front of the school.
While many of the open house activities are outside, the School of Veterinary Medicine also opens its doors for tours of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, workshops on admissions and a variety of animal-health topics, exhibits, and a special presentation of posters made by 4-H students who won contests in each Indiana county.
Other demonstrations include:
• The equine treadmill, which helps equine specialists detect lameness and respiratory problems in horses.• Training a young horse.
• A look at a cow's digestive system.
• A spaying surgery.
• How to help your horse avoid colic.
• A presentation by the Wildcat Wildlife Center.
• Pet first aid.
A complete listing of open house activities is available on the Web.
Writer: Maggie Morris, (765) 494-2432, maggiemorris@purdue.edu
Sources: Kevin Doerr, Vet School alumni communications director, (765) 494-6304, doerrkr@purdue.edu
John VanVleet, (765) 494-9185, vanvleet@purdue.edu
Bill Marion, (765) 564-2080
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
PHOTO CAPTION:
A crowd watches as Dag, a 3-year-old K-9 German shepherd, performs a mock attack on Sgt. Scott Hodson of the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Department at last year's School of Veterinary Medicine Open House. The security demonstration is one of several events that will again be featured at the school's 42nd annual open house on April 16. (Purdue News Service file photo/David Umberger)
A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2005/vetopen-adv05.jpg
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