Every year the WSU Canine Club hosts an annual Canine Canter. The event is
held Saturday of WSU’s Mom’s Weekend (April 11-13) and is open to the
public. It is a 5k run/walk that students, staff, faculty and the general
public can enter with their canine companions. Each participant receives a
T-shirt on race day featuring all of our sponsors on the back. The race
route is on campus which makes participants visible to the high influx of
people on campus that weekend. This event is our club’s biggest fundraiser
for the year. The club uses the funds raised from this event and others to
bring in lecturers from across the country to WSU to provide members with a
broad education that supplements our core curriculum. Lectures are focused
on topics specific to the interests of our members. Such topics include
canine health, nutrition, behavior and training.
Adopt a Dog Program
This is the first year of this joint program between the WSU CVM Canine
Club and Behavior Club. The general idea is to choose a specific dog at the
Whitman County Humane Society and spend a couple hours a week with that
specific dog. That time is spent walking, training and socializing the dog.
Participants should consider their own experience with dog training and
socializing when choosing a dog as well as the personality of the dog. The
shelter managers are available and willing to assist with the matching
process.
The benefit of this individualized attention from one person to the dog
is obvious. The more individualized attention a dog receives, the more
likely “behavior problems” will be resolved and they are more likely to be
adopted sooner. The first visits are usually the hardest as the dogs are
unfamiliar with members still. Once the dogs begin to recognize people from
repeated visits a bond begins to form and the visits become more enjoyable
for both. Walks and training time become more productive and improvements in
behavior can be seen.
Thus far this program has been met with great enthusiasm and we have
already seen improvement in some of the dogs. This program has been set up
to be as flexible as possible for members and will hopefully continue
through the summer into the new school year!
So far (Mar 3, 2008) three of our dogs have been adopted by the public ("Dax",
"Rex" and "Leroy")
Photos
Canine Canter April 2008
Photos from 2007 Dogshow
Canine Canter April 14, 2007
Dog Show Photos 2006
Canine Canter &
Dog Wash at Open House 2005
