For some Cal Poly animal science students, a parking lot filled with pop-up tents and foldable tables is more than a temporary classroom. It’s a space for them to serve people and their pets.
Students in the Veterinary Community Service Enterprise course gain hands-on learning experience by running Doggy Days clinics three to four times per quarter. These clinics provide free veterinary services to unhoused and low-income communities in San Luis Obispo County.
According to animal science Assistant Professor Laura Backus, who teaches the enterprise course, the clinics aim to meet people where they are and provide access to animal health care that might otherwise be too costly for some individuals.
“It is sort of community service at its core, and they [the students] get to meet a wide variety of people and try to figure out how to meet people’s needs who are coming from many, many different backgrounds,” Backus said.
The clinics occur at various locations around the county each quarter and offer services like vaccinations, physical exams, and nail trims for cats and dogs. Clients are taken care of on a first-come, first-served basis, so no appointments or prior registration are necessary.
Student manager Carolyn Mount said that locations are sometimes strategically chosen to align with the schedules of other community outreach organizations. The most recent clinic on Oct. 12 was held in conjunction with Shower the People, an organization that offers free hot showers to homeless individuals.
“Since people are already there getting their showers and cleaning themselves, it’s really convenient for them to then come by with their pets,” Mount said.
The enterprise course requires that students take one of two prerequisites, either the Vet Clinic Enterprise or Technical Veterinary Skills class. These classes ensure that students have basic animal- and needle-handling skills before participating in Doggy Days.
The class itself is made up of about 12 to 18 students each quarter, all with varying levels of experience in the veterinary field. Mount said that this creates an atmosphere of excitement and enthusiasm during the Doggy Days clinics.
“For some [students], outside of the prereqs that they took, it’s their first time communicating with clients and getting patient history and really getting to interact and see how much everyone cares about their pets,” she said.
According to Mount, students perform basic physical exams by checking temperature, respiratory rate, and heart rate. After Backus, a licensed veterinarian, checks the animals, students administer vaccinations under her supervision.
“Cal Poly has a really unique program where the pre-vet students get to work hands-on with animals,” Mount said. “We have a lot of large animals on campus, which is great for large-animal experience, but not as many small-animal opportunities. So, this is one of the few enterprises that help people who want to become small-animal veterinarians get good experience working with dogs and cats.”
Mount explained that in addition to offering her hands-on animal experience, participating in the clinics has taught her how deeply people care for their pets.
“The animals really help them [people without homes] with their health, and it gives them, you know, something to really care about,” she said. “They wake up every morning knowing that they get to take care of their pets.”
Backus noted that many of the clients they serve at the clinics often feed their pets before they feed themselves. She said that one of her favorite parts about the clinics is being able to bond with strangers over a mutual love and appreciation of animals.
“People from all walks of life love their pets,” Backus said, “and so it’s a common ground no matter where somebody is coming from.” Δ
New Times editorial intern Emma Montalbano can be reached at ntintern@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Pet Issue 2024.