Students initiate new OVC Animal Behaviour Club
Published
October 26, 2004
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With the province of Ontario considering a province-wide ban on pitbulls due to several recent attacks on humans, animal behaviour has been in the media spotlight in recent months. However, second year veterinary student Sophie Farrell says animal behaviour has been on her mind since before she started veterinary school, and long before the recent pitbull attacks that have spurred the province to consider banning the breed.
With support from her classmates, Farrell started OVC's newest student club, the OVC Animal Behaviour club, which held its first meeting in a packed auditorium on October 8. At the meeting, five speakers from across Canada debated the pros and cons of banning a specific breed of dog to help prevent canine aggression.
The speakers at the lunchtime seminar included Ward McAlister, general manager of the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society, Keiley Abbat, a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers, and several speakers affiliated with the Dog Legislation Council of Canada. The speakers clearly relished the opportunity to speak to veterinary students about canine aggression.
"You guys have an important job," said Sandra Alway, President of the Golden Horseshoe American Pit Bull Terrier Club and Vice President of the Dog Legislation Council of Canada. "You will have to direct a lot of people about what's best for their dogs, their families, their neighbourhoods."
Farrell is glad the club is off to a good start, and looks forward to delving into other behaviour-related issues through future meetings. She says the club complements her in-class learning about animal behaviour.
"Behaviour is part of the curriculum, but not in the depth I wanted," she says. "Like anything else, the more experience you have, the better it serves you. I realized from talking to others that there was enough interest for us to pursue some of our own learning opportunities."
Even before she began veterinary school, Farrell says she was interested in animal behaviour, particularly because of volunteering she performed at veterinary clinics and animal-related charities. For example, just last year, Farrell and her roommate fostered a dog from the Ontario Bouvier Rescue for several months.
"I saw so many animals who desperately needed training to make them desirable pets," she says. "Animal behaviour has more to do with training the owners than training the dogs."
She says that part of her job as a student is to learn as much as she can so that she can help inform her clients when she becomes a veterinarian.
"I want to be able to help my clients set themselves up for the best possible experience when they get a new pet," she says. "As veterinarians, we'll be looked at as experts on animals. People will be asking for our opinion and we need to be sure it's well-informed."
Dr. Peter Conlon, Assistant Dean, Student Affairs agrees with Farrell that the club is a good way to continue learning out of the classroom.
"Club activities enrich the academic environment, particularly challenging issues such as the discussion about banning breeds," he says.
The OVC Behaviour Club will hold its executive elections shortly, and already boasts 17 members. The group plans to have monthly meetings with invited speakers related to topics such as animal aggression, the role of dog trainers, equine behaviour and behaviour issues related to farm animals. The group also hopes to host a day-long session on animal aggression next semester.
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