Dogs, cats, horses and hole-y cows will roam around the Wise Center this weekend. Add in about 3,000 people and it is sure to be mass chaos-or a veterinary student’s dream.
Today and Saturday, the center will host its 20th annual open house from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Events and exhibits will be spread inside and out of the Wise Center complex.
The open house will feature tours of the center, herding dogs, a petting zoo, equine demonstrations, and a Frisbee dog among other things, said Kim Higgason of the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Office of Special Programs.
“For the first time, we will have a dog trot for people and their dogs to participate in a fun run,” Higgason said.
The open house will also feature the college’s “famous hole-y cow,” Higgason said. The cow has a plastic bubble inserted in its side to allow viewing into the stomach. The college uses it for educational purposes.
Staff chairperson of the event Tara Puckett said the wide variety of events is designed to entertain any crowd.
“The open house is for anyone from age two to 102,” Puckett said.
The event is open to the public. Any students, community members and prospective vet school students are invited. Puckett said 2,000 school children are expected to attend today.
Though the open house was originally created in 1984 to go along with the college’s 10-year anniversary, it has continued as an educational experience for vet students enrolled in the professional development class.
Students will be on hand to give talks and demonstrations, like “A Day in the Life of a Vet” and on household products that are harmful to your pets, Higgason said.
Puckett said that students are required to participate in these presentations in order to get a grade for their class. However, a grade is not the only reason students are involved.
Wayne Groce, faculty chairman of the event, said the experience the vet students get is the biggest advantage.
“It is good experience for them to talk to the lay public,” he said.
Many new graduates speak too technically, Groce said, but the open house gives them the opportunity to practice talking so that young people can understand the profession.
Public education on the profession is another main factor of the open house.
“Many people don’t have any idea how diverse the profession is,” Groce said. “The open house gives prospective students who have not decided on a career path or direction.”
This year the college is celebrating its 30th anniversary and while the open house is not a part of the anniversary celebrations, the theme will be prevalent in the open house.
“We’re telling the school children it’s our 30th birthday,” Groce said.