Down a long, narrow, dim hallway is a door with a gold metal number 10. We stop outside and listen to an owl hooting. Dr. Nicky Finch, wildlife veterinarian at the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine, opens the door a crack, then slowly walks in. “Gus,” a Great Gray Owl, is inside. He has strips of leather on his legs, called jesses. Dr. Finch puts on a leather gauntlet, which covers her forearm.
For the past 34 years when anyone asked me this question all I had to do was say that I was born and raised in Idaho, and it was enough to launch an entire dinner conversation. I’ve enjoyed describing to people what it was like to grow up in the west, and the fact that Idaho borders Washington and Canada, not Illinois.
As they entered a village in Tanzania, Cassie Eakins (’16 DVM) and members of the rabies team announced over a loudspeaker that there would be a rabies vaccine clinic coming to town the next day. At another village, they tossed posters from their vehicle. Once the team started to drive away, the village children gathered them up to be posted. The next day a crowd was lined up to have their dogs vaccinated.
To be able to care for more birds, we have made extensive renovations to the raptor facility thanks to the support of the Potlatch Corporation, Avista Utilities, the WSU Raptor Club, and countless other generous donors.
Fourth year veterinary student Holly Sawyer (’17 DVM) and Geoffrey McGee (’17 DVM) helped care for a 3-week-old zebra foal named “ZB.”
Congratulations to Mushtaq Memon and Wendy Brown who retired in July 2016. Dr. Memon was at WSU for 25 years. Dr. Brown was at WSU for 21 years.
So, we start a new academic year and we just welcomed our latest generation of Coug veterinarians—the class of 2020. 2020 already! I spent two and a half days in August with this wonderful group of talented, smart, funny, delightful, enthusiastic people. And I am here to tell you our future is in good hands.