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SAVE A LIFE BY TERRI MCKENDRY
Animal Care Sanctuary, ACS, partnered with Staffworks Save a Life Campaign in December. During this monthlong campaign Staffworks matched each donation dollar for dollar up to $25,000. Thanks to the generosity of so many donors, ACS raised over $200,000 allowing us to receive the entire match. Thank you to all of you who so generously participated. The funds raised go to supporting all the programs at ACS including our growing Humane Education Program.
in its care at any given time and that all those animals are vaccinated, checked for parasites and disease, spayed, or neutered, vaccinate, and microchipped for identification so that they are healthy and ready for adoption. This kind of fast paced medical practice is not something students will learn in the classroom- it is
ACS has been blazing a path in humane education for over eight years with the creation of our college internship program for pre-veterinary students. Animal Care Sanctuary is one of only 20% of shelters nationwide that has its own veterinary staff. Animal Care Sanctuary began a STEM internship program in 2014 and has seen a steady growth in interest as more of our interns have gone out in the world to make their mark on veterinary and shelter medicine and have told the story of their time at Animal Care Sanctuary. The program was born out of conversation with Dr. Jan Scarlett, Founder of the Cornell University Shelter Medicine program regarding the unique challenges that come with shelter medicine. Dr. Scarlett is part of an advisory board which helps guide ACS’s policy and procedures surrounding shelter medicine and animal behavior. Consider that ACS has some 500 animals 328
ROCHESTER WOMAN ONLINE : JANUARY EDITION 2022
hands on learning in the truest sense of the word. This program gives students firsthand experience in the most difficult facet of Veterinary medicine- shelter medicine. Shelter medicine requires students to be prepared to bring their science and technology together to treat conditions that private veterinary
practices do not generally see with family-owned pets. The Animal Care Sanctuary’s Internship Program is designed to give students direct experience in all facets of shelter medicine. Our on-site community clinic and full- time veterinary team allows students to spend their time gaining clinic experience. Our location in an underserved rural community allows students to gain unique perspective on innovative ways to bring access to affordable care to underserved communities. While the goal of this internship is to help pre veterinary and animal science students grow in their field of knowledge, it is also a program that seeks to make a positive impact on animals and the world by developing the human animal bond and preparing the next generation of veterinary students to work in both private practice and shelter medicine. The program highlights the unique challenges that come with shelter medicine such as rapid spread of disease and the need for quick spay/neuter surgeries when low-cost clinics provide lines of people in need of surgery for their dog or cat. However, students learn skills that are applicable to both private practice and shelter medicine. We do not advertise this program and it has grown through word of mouth and once a college/university has had a student complete the program they are anxious to send more students. With
